Just sent this email to the Athletic Dept. Will anyone read it? I hope.
"I am writing this email to you tonight not as a frustrated football fan, but as a concerned student.
I would put my Pitt football fandom up against any Pitt student at this university. I have missed a grand total of 4 games over the last 5 seasons. I even came out tonight while on the back end of an illness I've had since the weekend. I routinely stay til the end of most games unlike the majority of students. I subscribe to Pitt football insider websites and pay close to $100 of my own money just to get the latest and greatest Pitt athletics information. Without some action being taken on the following situation below, I fear Pitt football might lose a loyal and passionate fan.
Upon leaving the game tonight at around 10:45, I made my way over to the line of buses. A group of about 30-40 Pitt students filed onto my bus (Phillips B B313), and we were on our way after about a 10 minute wait in line. The directions to the bus driver were clear, take 376 around the stadium and back to Oakland. She, for some reason, went straight and stopped in the middle of the first intersection we got to. The crossing guard asked her what she was doing, and in a soft voice, she said, "I'm going to Oakland." She went straight at the intersection and got onto the HOV lane for 279 north. Being from the Pittsburgh area my entire life, I knew there was no way to turn around until the McKnight Road exit. It was around this time when other students began becoming aware of the situation. Our bus driver was going 15-20 mph on the HOV lane, jamming her foot on the brake every so often. We eventually pulled off to the McKnight Road exit and some students up front began trying to give her directions and talk to her to tell her to turn around. "Turn right here," they said, and she responded "Ok, I'll go straight," as she continued down McKnight Road into Ross Township, going 15-20 mph under the speed limit with braking in between. We eventually got her to turn around and headed into the right direction. When we needed to turn right off McKnight Road to go on 279 S, she began veering right, then turned the wheel left. "Right!" everyone shouted. She jerked the bus to the right and we headed down 279 S, going the same dangerously slow speed and with the intermittent braking. When we told her to take Veterans Bridge and then 376, she yelled back, "Everyone, relax! I know where I'm going." She took us off the 28 exit, through the Strip District and toward Lawrenceville, up Polish Hill, and finally through Bigelow and Oakland. The drive lasted around 45 minutes.
Now what's the point of me ranting about a bus driver taking a few wrong turns? I have two points.
1) I was genuinely concerned for my safety, as were many of the other students. We were on the verge on calling 911. If my phone wasn't dead (which is why I am currently emailing you on my non-Pitt email), I probably would have. We weren't sure if the lady driving was inebriated or on drugs. I don't know this lady. Maybe it was her first time driving a bus. However, there are some crazy people in this world, as we see nearly every day on the news. Granted, I may have been the only one fearing the worst, but God forbid the bus driver takes us to an unsafe place, gets us in an accident, or worse. Maybe that's an extreme overreaction, but I certainly got a horrible feeling.
2) This is the primary reason why students do not attend football games, or leave early. I'm sure the athletic department gets angry emails about this all the time, but it is very true. Pitt athletics can offer all the free food, drinks, and T-shirts they want, but the two things driving students away is a) the bus situation and b) the product on the field. I certainly do not fault this administration for the erroneous decisions and overall incompetence of previous administrations. In fact, I really like the direction and passion being shown by Mrs. Lyke and her fellow officials. But this situation needs looked at.
Mr. Spears, filling in for Mrs. Lyke, came and spoke to myself and many other Pitt Greek Life members during the Greek 101 seminar we were all required to take. In his speech he gave (which I listened to and enjoyed), he was asked, "What is the one thing you love about the University of Pittsburgh since being here?" His answer was the pride of the student body and the pride of every Pittsburgh'er around. My respectful question to Mr. Spears at this moment in time is, how can I possibly have pride in the situation that is surrounding our football team right now with the buses, that had me fearing for my own safety and the safety of the fellow bus riders around me?
These aren't overnight fixes. I will spare whoever reads this email the on-campus argument. But I would like to see some answers on what happened with the woman that was driving my bus, and the bus situation as a whole. In the meantime, I will save myself from any future issues and either call an Uber or take a Port Authority bus to the city for future football games.
I hope this email came off as respectful, I apologize if it did not in any way. If I am not emailing the correct people, if someone could please direct me to the correct person that could provide some answers on this situation that would be great.
Thank you for your time, and Hail to Pitt."
I'm not one to email and complain. In fact, I'd probably be one of the first ones to tell someone "You're wasting your time buddy." But this is something, I feel, that needed to be said and brought to the attention of someone at Pitt. The bus situation is absolutely ridiculous. Today was an outlier, sure. But wow, was that pretty scary.
"I am writing this email to you tonight not as a frustrated football fan, but as a concerned student.
I would put my Pitt football fandom up against any Pitt student at this university. I have missed a grand total of 4 games over the last 5 seasons. I even came out tonight while on the back end of an illness I've had since the weekend. I routinely stay til the end of most games unlike the majority of students. I subscribe to Pitt football insider websites and pay close to $100 of my own money just to get the latest and greatest Pitt athletics information. Without some action being taken on the following situation below, I fear Pitt football might lose a loyal and passionate fan.
Upon leaving the game tonight at around 10:45, I made my way over to the line of buses. A group of about 30-40 Pitt students filed onto my bus (Phillips B B313), and we were on our way after about a 10 minute wait in line. The directions to the bus driver were clear, take 376 around the stadium and back to Oakland. She, for some reason, went straight and stopped in the middle of the first intersection we got to. The crossing guard asked her what she was doing, and in a soft voice, she said, "I'm going to Oakland." She went straight at the intersection and got onto the HOV lane for 279 north. Being from the Pittsburgh area my entire life, I knew there was no way to turn around until the McKnight Road exit. It was around this time when other students began becoming aware of the situation. Our bus driver was going 15-20 mph on the HOV lane, jamming her foot on the brake every so often. We eventually pulled off to the McKnight Road exit and some students up front began trying to give her directions and talk to her to tell her to turn around. "Turn right here," they said, and she responded "Ok, I'll go straight," as she continued down McKnight Road into Ross Township, going 15-20 mph under the speed limit with braking in between. We eventually got her to turn around and headed into the right direction. When we needed to turn right off McKnight Road to go on 279 S, she began veering right, then turned the wheel left. "Right!" everyone shouted. She jerked the bus to the right and we headed down 279 S, going the same dangerously slow speed and with the intermittent braking. When we told her to take Veterans Bridge and then 376, she yelled back, "Everyone, relax! I know where I'm going." She took us off the 28 exit, through the Strip District and toward Lawrenceville, up Polish Hill, and finally through Bigelow and Oakland. The drive lasted around 45 minutes.
Now what's the point of me ranting about a bus driver taking a few wrong turns? I have two points.
1) I was genuinely concerned for my safety, as were many of the other students. We were on the verge on calling 911. If my phone wasn't dead (which is why I am currently emailing you on my non-Pitt email), I probably would have. We weren't sure if the lady driving was inebriated or on drugs. I don't know this lady. Maybe it was her first time driving a bus. However, there are some crazy people in this world, as we see nearly every day on the news. Granted, I may have been the only one fearing the worst, but God forbid the bus driver takes us to an unsafe place, gets us in an accident, or worse. Maybe that's an extreme overreaction, but I certainly got a horrible feeling.
2) This is the primary reason why students do not attend football games, or leave early. I'm sure the athletic department gets angry emails about this all the time, but it is very true. Pitt athletics can offer all the free food, drinks, and T-shirts they want, but the two things driving students away is a) the bus situation and b) the product on the field. I certainly do not fault this administration for the erroneous decisions and overall incompetence of previous administrations. In fact, I really like the direction and passion being shown by Mrs. Lyke and her fellow officials. But this situation needs looked at.
Mr. Spears, filling in for Mrs. Lyke, came and spoke to myself and many other Pitt Greek Life members during the Greek 101 seminar we were all required to take. In his speech he gave (which I listened to and enjoyed), he was asked, "What is the one thing you love about the University of Pittsburgh since being here?" His answer was the pride of the student body and the pride of every Pittsburgh'er around. My respectful question to Mr. Spears at this moment in time is, how can I possibly have pride in the situation that is surrounding our football team right now with the buses, that had me fearing for my own safety and the safety of the fellow bus riders around me?
These aren't overnight fixes. I will spare whoever reads this email the on-campus argument. But I would like to see some answers on what happened with the woman that was driving my bus, and the bus situation as a whole. In the meantime, I will save myself from any future issues and either call an Uber or take a Port Authority bus to the city for future football games.
I hope this email came off as respectful, I apologize if it did not in any way. If I am not emailing the correct people, if someone could please direct me to the correct person that could provide some answers on this situation that would be great.
Thank you for your time, and Hail to Pitt."
I'm not one to email and complain. In fact, I'd probably be one of the first ones to tell someone "You're wasting your time buddy." But this is something, I feel, that needed to be said and brought to the attention of someone at Pitt. The bus situation is absolutely ridiculous. Today was an outlier, sure. But wow, was that pretty scary.
