Over the summer, Chambers Hall received several aesthetic and infrastructure upgrades.
Interior features have been painted royal blue and yellow to match Pitt’s new colors, and Pitt-themed decor highlights Chambers front desk. The gym also received an upgrade. New lights and floorboards have been installed, with new padding around the walls and bleachers on the way.
Pending approval from Pitt-Oakland, Chambers Hall will soon become open 24/7. This will offer students more opportunities to relax, unwind, and enjoy all the amenities, including a new California Pizza Kitchen vending machine that will allow students to use their flex plans to access hot pizza whenever cravings strike.
While the pizza machine is having some technical difficulties that should be resolved soon, Pitt-Greensburg President Dr. Bob Gregerson says overall he’s pleased with the progress.
“We just wanted Chambers, as the student center, to really be more inviting,” Gregerson says. “Now it’s obvious that you’re at a Pitt campus because of all the blue and gold. So that was a really nice touch, I think.”
The upgrades also offer students new ways to relax. Bruiser’s Bunker, for instance, boasts a new pool table, replacing the one that was broken last semester.
All of these changes came with a price tag, however. Students saw the campus activity fee rise $5, from $85 last year to $90 for 2026-27.
Al Thiel, director of Student Center and Student Involvement, says the money generated from the activity fee will go to even more projects and renovations, including those planned upgrades to the gym.
The new bleachers will be ADA compliant, Thiel says, and won’t go down as far as the current ones.
“They’ll be safer for student athletes when they’re participating in games,” Thiel says.
Once Chambers is open 24/7, students will be able to enjoy everything the building has to offer at all hours.
“We want to have a place for (students) to study, so Fireside’s going to be kind of a quiet space in those after-hours time, a place for students to kind of just relax a little bit,” Thiel says.
Students will also be able to use the gym to play basketball at night. According to Thiel, there will be a rack of basketballs, as well as gameroom equipment, rolled out each night for student use.
“Students will be able to play some ping pong, play some pool,” Thiel says. “All of you pay these Student Center fees. Let’s make sure you have access to the space.”
As for how students will access Chambers safely after hours, Thiel says new security features will offer peace of mind.
“There were updated security cameras put in the building a few years ago, and the new card readers (installed over the summer on many campus buildings) allow us to give access to some spaces later in the evening,” Thiel says. “Scan your ID and we’ll have an idea of who’s in the building.”
With additional reporting by Matthew Goss
