Litchfield Towers
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Litchfield Towers, commonly referred to as "Towers," is a complex of dormitories at the University of Pittsburgh's main campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Litchfield Towers is both the largest and tallest dormitory at the University of Pittsburgh, housing approximately 1,850 students[1]. Towers A and B house freshman exclusively, but Tower C is open to students of all years. The complex was built in 1966 and is named after Edward Litchfield, the 12th chancellor of the university. The complex consists of three towers, which during construction were designated A, B, and C in the architectural plans[1]. The names stuck after the towers were completed, and the towers are still so named today. The towers are all of different heights, and differ slightly in their living accommodations. Tower B is the tallest of the three, at 22 stories[2]. Tower A is 19 stories tall, and Tower C is 16 stories in height. Rooms in Towers A and B are the same size, roughly 17 ft (5.2 m) by 11 ft (3.4 m)[3]. These measurements are not exact, however, because the three towers are cylindrical in shape (although actually twenty-sided) and the rooms themselves are therefore somewhat trapezoidal.
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[edit] Towers A and B
Towers A and B are very similar to each other. All rooms in both towers are doubles, meaning that two people share each room. There is a lounge the size of three dorm rooms every third floor, containing a large television and several couches and tables for studying. Communal and university-sponsored events frequently take place in the various lounges throughout the towers. Every floor shares a communal bathroom, with several shower and restroom stalls. Each floor has twenty rooms, except for the lounge floors, which only have seventeen. Each floor's resident assistant lives alone in their respective room, meaning each floor houses 39 people. On the ground floor of Tower A there is a small fitness center containing treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and weight equipment. A fully-functioning post office and all student mailboxes are located on the ground floor of Tower B. Due to their freshman population, both Towers A and B are designated as alcohol-free[4]. However, this rule is de facto not enforced, and alcohol is widely, though not openly, available throughout Towers A and B. Its distribution, sale, and consumption, if done discreetly, is generally ignored by most local authorities, though punished if discovered.
There are several specialized student communities in Litchfield Towers which are set aside by the university. Students Pursuing Academics and Careers in Engineering, commonly referred to as the "SPACE" floors, is located on floors 8 through 11 of Tower A[5]. The University Honors College Living Learning Community is housed on floors 11 through 14 of Tower B[5], and the University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration Living Learning Community is located on floors 9 and 10 of Tower B[5]. Tension between the Business Living Learning Community and that of the University Honors College is common, and has lasted for several years. "Quiet" floors, which have extra rules promoting a quieter atmosphere, are located on floors 2 and 21 of Tower B[6].
[edit] Tower C
Tower C is very different from Towers A and B. In addition to the fact that Tower C is open to students of any year[7], the rooms in Tower C are designated as "singles," meaning that each room houses only one person[7]. The rooms are 2/3 the size of rooms in Towers A and B, and like Tower A and Tower B, every third floor has a lounge containing a television, couches, and tables for extra study. In addition, each floor has 30 rooms, except floors containing a lounge, which have 27. No official specialized student communities are housed in Tower C, but the top four floors, 13 through 16, are quiet floors[6].
[edit] Student services
As the largest dormitory on the University of Pittsburgh's campus, Litchfield Towers is home to several student services in order to accommodate its large population.
[edit] Panther Central
Panther Central is the center for most basic student services. Some of these services include issuing of student ID cards, replacement of lost ID cards, dispensing of general information, placing maintenance requests for rooms, and other such services[8]. The most common request at Panther Central is verification of residential status, used by students who have left their ID cards in their rooms and require status verification to reenter their dormitory. Despite being the center of student services, Panther Central has a reputation of being slow and bureaucratic, and is not well-liked by students.
[edit] Dining services
The ground floor of the Litchfield towers complex houses two University dining facilities, both run by the French food service conglomerate Sodexho. "The Marketplace" is an all-you-can-eat buffet serving traditional foods such as pastas and salad[9]. The menu changes throughout the day, starting with breakfast foods such as waffles and cereal and ending with dinner dishes such as lasagna. "Eddie's" is structured more like a food court, with several stand-alone food shops serving such foods as sandwiches, chicken, and hamburgers. Eddie's also contains a small grocery store mainly selling snack foods and pre-packaged dinners[9]. The grocery store has a wide variety of kosher selections. Additionally, there is a small shop on the Lobby Floor, Common Grounds, which sells coffee. Both dining facilities are open to the general student population, but are heavily frequented by freshmen and residents of Tower C.[citation needed] For the 2007 academic year, the Litchfield Tower dining facilities will be completely remodeled.[10]
[edit] Security
Although Panther Central, the Towers Lobby which connects all three towers, and the dining services located on the ground floor are accessible to everyone, only residents are allowed in the individual towers and must present their student ID card to a 24-hour security guard to gain entrance[11][12]. Visitors to any of the Towers must be signed in by a resident of the Tower, and must present either their student ID card if they are a student or a valid form of photographic identification if they are not[11]. On weekdays, which the University defines as Sunday through Thursday, guests signed in by residents must be signed out and leave the Tower by 2:00 AM[11]. If not, an overnight stay request must be completed, of which a student can only file a certain number each academic semester[11]. There is no such rule on weekends. No resident is permitted to sign in more than five people at one time[11].
During the designated moving-in/moving-out periods at the beginning and end of semesters, the elevators in all three Towers can access the basement garage, allowing students and visitors the ability to travel freely between Towers.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b University of Pittsburgh On-line Tour, www.umc.pitt.edu/tour, [1]
- ^ Litchfield Towers, www.skyscraperpage.com, [2]
- ^ University of Pittsburgh Housing Services Website, Litchfield Tower A, www.pc.pitt.edu/housing, [3]
- ^ University of Pittsburgh 2006-2007 Residential Handbook, pg. 46
- ^ a b c University of Pittsburgh 2006-2007 Residential Handbook, pg. 25
- ^ a b University of Pittsburgh 2006-2007 Residential Handbook, pg. 40
- ^ a b University of Pittsburgh Housing Services Website, Litchfield Tower C, www.pc.pitt.edu/housing, [4]
- ^ University of Pittsburgh 2006-2007 Resident Handbook, pg. 36
- ^ a b University of Pittsburgh 2006-2007 Residential Handbook, pg. 11
- ^ Panther Central, New Dining Concepts
- ^ a b c d e University of Pittsburgh 2006-2007 Residential Handbook, pgs. 49-51
- ^ University of Pittsburgh 2006-2007 Residential Handbook, pg. 4
