What to Bring? What not to Bring?

General Items

The Office of Campus Life wants to make your lives a little easier by supplying you with a list of general necessities and some odds and ends specific to Point Park University and Pittsburgh. 

Also keep in mind that you will probably be sharing this space with someone else. That person will also be bringing belongings and personal touches to add. As such, chances are good that all of your stuff from home will not fit! Please make every effort to contact your roommate or roommates to plan for arrival and decide on what to bring and more importantly what not to bring. 

We strongly recommend that when you visit the University for the Pioneer Experience you tour the rooms in order to get a good idea of the space that you will have available to you when you arrive. This will help you in your task of packing what you need due to the limited space of our rooms. 

• Bed Linens (standard twin sheets, unless in Boulevard Apartments ending in 00,01,02,and 03 then extra-long twin sheets) 
• Comforter/Blankets 
• Pillows with pillow cases 
• Backrest 
• Towels/Washcloths 
• Bathrobe 
• A high quality mattress pad (suggested not mandatory) 
• Pajamas 
• Laundry Bag/Basket 
• Laundry detergent/Fabric softener/Color safe bleach 
• Summer clothes (we recommend taking them home at Thanksgiving and exchanging them for fall/winter wear, this cuts down on storage problems) 
• Dress outfits (for formals, job interviews, etc.) 
• Workout clothes/Shoes 
• Good walking shoes/sneakers/sandals (Pittsburgh is our campus, you'll do a lot of walking) 
• Raincoat & Umbrella 
• Good Cold weather shoes (after the weather change it tends to rain and snow a lot here, good shoes or boots are a must) 
• Clothes drying rack (for those "wash in the sink" clothes) 
• Sewing kit (to sew on that loose button) 
• Safety pins 
• Clothes hangers (you can never have enough) 
• Over the door hanger hangers (to maximize limited storage space) 
• Plastic crates (great for organizational and storage needs) 
• Under the bed Plastic containers (Also for storage in a limited environment, look in discount stores for these) 
• Hanging shoe Rack (for all those shoes)

• Shower shoes (If you're assigned to Thayer Hall) 

Electronics

• Surge protector (This is all important that is why it's first on the list!) 
• Alarm clock/clock radio (gotta get up for class) 
• Cell Phone (There are no phone jacks in any bedroom.)
• Extension cord(s) size 12 or 14 UL certified only 
• Stereo/CD player 
• Miniature refrigerator (Available at low cost at discount stores) 
• Earphones (for after quiet hours!) 
• Television 
• DVD/VCR 
• Fan (We recommend the standing oscillating fans as opposed to window fans) 
• Flashlight
• Hair dryer/Curling iron
• Iron/Ironing board
• Desk Lamp
• Computer (with Ethernet card installed to connect to the University's network)
• Printer
• Category 5 Ethernet, 4 Pair UTP, 24AWG cord to attach your computer to the Ethernet plug

• Cable TV patch cord, 75 ohm RG-6, Male to Male

For Classes and Study 

• Book bag or briefcase
• Calculator
• Computer disks
• Dictionary and Thesaurus
• Micro Cassette Recorder/Cassettes
• General School Supplies (Available in our campus bookstore when you arrive)
• Stapler
• File organizer

• Dry erase board

Personal Care and Hygiene

All of these items can be purchased when you arrive. There are several drug stores within walking distance of the University such as Rite-Aid and CVS that can supply these items so that you don't have to pack so much. 

• Health Insurance card (Extremely necessary for hospital or health center visits)
• Medical Information (Extremely necessary for hospital or health center visits)
• Social Security card
• Prescription drugs (if necessary)
• Pain reliever
• Anti Acid (think Maalox or Pepto-Bismol)
• Kleenex
• Skin lotion
• Anti-Bacterial soap (Wash those hands!)
• Shampoo
• Body Soap/Wash
• Mouthwash
• Toothbrush/Toothpaste
• Shaving items
• Small First aid kit (with band-aids, anti-bacterial cream etc.)
• Cold Remedies (for those pesky colds that eventually go around in close quarters)
• Lysol
• Nail care items
• Tweezers 

• Toilet Paper (unless in Thayer Hall)

Optional and Specialized Items  

• Address book (with mailing and E-mail addresses)
• Camera/Film
• Games/Playing cards
• Photos of Family and Friends
• A portable safe to store valuable papers, credit cards, phone cards, money, stamps etc. 
• Spiritual reading material
• Letter writing supplies (Stationary, Envelopes, Stamps)
• Posters and other wall hangings
• Easy Care Plants
• Coin bank

• Key chain/ID Holder (Available in the campus bookstore) 

Things not permitted in residence halls 

• Microwave ovens (We prohibit the use of cooking appliances of any kind in our residence halls)
• Hot Plates/George Forman Grills
• Candles (Fire Hazard)
• Incense (Fire Hazard)
• Hookahs
• Drug Paraphernalia (It is illegal in Pennsylvania to possess, even for display only)
• Illegal Drugs
• Weapons of any kind or type (even for display purposes)
• Expensive jewelry (high risk of theft)
• Explosives
• Fireworks
• Pets (any animal or insect life-forms) except fish and FISH only.
• Waterbed
• Water Chair
• Large refrigerators
• Amplifiersof any kind (Obvious noise problems) 
• Alcohol or alcohol containers of any kind (if underage) Please consult the Pioneer Guide for Point Park University's policy.
• Air Conditioners (If an air conditioner is required for a medically valid reason the resident must provide official documentation from his/her personal physician to the Director of Health Services for approval. The air conditioner must be provided by the resident.)

*All of the following will be subject to immediate confiscation by members of the Campus Life Staff, Campus Security or Physical Plant staff upon discovery and held until such time as the offending object or pet can be removed from Point Park University property. Possession of some of these will also result in possible disciplinary action depending upon the circumstance.