For some Pitt students, fall break might typically mean heading home, but this year’s overlap with Family Weekend has many choosing to stay on campus instead. 

On Friday, Oct. 9, classes are cancelled for fall break while the Family Weekend football game and other events are scheduled for the next day. Many students have expressed annoyance at having to choose between going home to their families or having their families come to them. 

The Oct. 10 and 11 dates were chosen for Family Weekend based on “student feedback, holidays and the schedule of home football games,” according to the Division of Student Affairs. 

Mya Sebastian, a sophomore finance major, is staying on campus this weekend but does not believe it should be considered a break. 

“My parents aren’t coming down this weekend, but my freshman year, they did, and it was very hectic,” Sebastian said. “I also feel like the fall break can’t even be considered a fall break — I already have Friday classes off, so it’s not really worth my time going anywhere.” 

Bridget Edwards, a first-year history major, said this year’s fall break is “counterproductive” as students want to go home, but parents want to visit. 

“Students want to go home for their fall break, but whenever it’s parents weekend, then parents obviously want to come up and visit, so they don’t really get a good opportunity to go home,” Edwards said. “My sister’s coming up, [but] otherwise, I probably would have gone home.” 

Jessa Rosenberg, a first-year applied developmental psychology major, said her parents are coming for Family Weekend but wishes she could have gone home. 

“I’m bummed because it means I don’t get to go home, and also [fall break is] one day,” Rosenberg said. 

Rosenberg said her parents are pleased with the decision, as they can save money. 

“I’m glad I get to see my parents, [and] my parents are pretty happy about it because it means that they don’t have to both pay for hotels and pay to get me home,” Rosenberg said.

Avidi Mohanti, a first-year neuroscience major, wishes there were two separate weekends because out-of-state students only get so many opportunities to go home. 

“I would rather have a chance to go back home rather than [my parents] come here, because, especially being out of state, you don’t get many chances to do it,” Mohanti said. “Having a designated long weekend gives you a chance to go back home, [but] during parents weekend, they want to come here and do the fun things here.”

Carlyle Welling, a first-year nursing major, said she wanted to go home, but her parents are coming to her instead. 

“I’m really mad that fall break is the same weekend as parents weekend, because I want to go home for fall break, but now my parents have to come here, and it’d be great if they were on two separate weekends,” Welling said. “Now it feels like I’m not even getting a break because I’m going to have to tour them around the City and everything.”

Welling explained that her parents are also upset because they wanted her to go home.

“[My parents] wanted to visit the school, and they didn’t want to do it on a different weekend because all the activities for parents weekend are in one weekend,” Welling said. “And I can’t go home any other weekend because I have class on Friday and I’m from out of state, so it’s really inconvenient for me to go home.” 

Saanvi Sharma, a first-year molecular biology major, is going home for fall break but said she is disappointed as she’s missing out on Family Weekend activities. 

“I’m upset about it because I was really excited to watch the game and have my parents come here and visit, but because it’s fall break, I wanted to go home and be able to enjoy my time at home,” Sharma said. 

Lynette Velez, a sophomore natural sciences major, said she’s not affected by the dual weekend but wishes she could have attended parents’ weekend. 

“It doesn’t really affect me because I’m still going home,” Velez said. “But I guess I would have liked to be able to go [to the game] on parents weekend and have my parents come.”

Faizan Saghir, an undeclared first-year student, said he does not feel like he’s missing out on Family Weekend. 

“It doesn’t really affect me that much — I’m going home, and I’m seeing my parents anyways,” Saghir said.