Pioneer Pause Offers University Community a Day to Relax and Reset Friday, October 31, 2025
Students and employees alike took part in the restful activities, such as yoga.
The fourth annual Pioneer Pause brought together people from all parts of the Point Park University community for a day to relax and reset.
Pioneer Pause is a mid-semester day when classes are canceled, and in their place, restful and fun events are planned. It’s designed to encourage mental health wellness — and that extends not only to students, but also employees. Faculty and staff are encouraged not to schedule meetings and to participate in the fun.
Seniors Abigail Dunnahoe and Rebecca Trulick went straight to their personal Pause tradition: making slime.
“We’ve done the slime the past four years,” said Trulick, a double major in broadcasting and sports communication, as she mixed up a batch in a cup. “This is the one we always come to.”
Dunnahoe, a forensic science major, described what she likes best about Pioneer Pause: “It’s a day off classes. It’s a very nice, we-can-do-what-we-want type of day.”
Throughout the day, employees and students alike took advantage of that “do-what-you-want” spirit.
Some activities were more physical, such as yoga, self-guided meditation and dodgeball. The carnival featured fun events like tarot card readings, balloon art, henna tattoos and caricature drawings.
Therapy dogs, service projects and Dungeons & Dragons one-shot campaigns were also offered. Bingo wrapped up the afternoon activities.
Many chose to participate in arts and crafts opportunities like friendship bracelet making, pumpkin painting, coloring and a meditative hand stitching class taught by Dr. Vincenne Revilla Beltran and Dr. Christal Edmunds.
Ansel Bloom, a first-year student in the Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology program, enjoyed the class. “I like making art often, and this was a good reminder of how portable it can be and how simple it can be to pause and take time out,” Bloom said.
Nina McGuigan, an academic advisor in the University Advising Center, appreciated seeing these two professors in a different setting: “Vincenne and Christal had been two of my instructors when I was here for a post-baccalaureate program. To see them here in this environment and what they’ve brought to the students, especially at this time of mental health crisis, is really critical.”
Ashlee Geesaman, residency program coordinator in the School of Education, said that her favorite part of the stitching class was “a sense of community being here together and getting to participate in something that we’re all doing the same thing, even if we’re from different parts of the university. That’s my biggest takeaway: the community was my favorite part.”
That sentiment was echoed by students who reflected on the day.
“I like the sense of community that Pioneer Pause brings,” Jaclyn Vandiver, a sophomore dance major with a concentration in jazz, said, “because a lot of people can take the Pioneer Pause as a time to isolate. But this brings a good, like, ‘Hey, if you’re feeling alone, just come out and have some fun.’”
Gabriela Gajdos, also a sophomore dance major with a concentration in jazz, agreed.
“Especially being a dance major, we’re a very tight-knit community and we really only get to be with each other,” she said. “So I think the Pioneer Pause is a great time to be with other majors. We’re sitting at a table with other people that we don’t usually get to talk to.”
Shayla Hopson, evening coordinator in media services, served as chair of the Staff Assembly committee that planned the event.
“It was so great to see our plans materialize into the beautiful day we had at this year's Pause,” Hopson said. “It made me happy when people enjoyed themselves.”
Though members of the Pioneer Pause committee — as well as many others who volunteered throughout the day — were busy with events, they also benefited from the community.
“I think my favorite time was stealing a few moments to eat lunch with a few of my committee members,” Hopson said. “Since my hours are normally the evening shift (2–10 p.m.), I am the last one to leave, so I often eat alone. It's nice to feel part of the Point Park community when we have events like this.”
Daveigh Hedgeman, a sophomore dance major with a concentration in jazz, summed up well the spirit of the tradition: “I love how it’s a day we don’t have to worry about any schoolwork, if you like. It’s just a day to relax, reset and get ready for the last push of the semester.”
