Friday, October 03, 2003

By John Hayes, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Those cool T's that you might see around Pittsburgh's college campuses are more than just fashion statements from American Eagle Outfitters. They're "wearable tickets" to a curious sort of bait-and-switch event happening this weekend at several Downtown locations.

	COLLEGECITY WEEKEND WHEN: 5:30 to 8 p.m. today and tomorrow WHAT: 12 performances by rock, folk, hip-hop, cabaret, comedy, hypnotist and laser acts WHERE: Downtown alleys at Cecil Way, Theater Square, Katz Plaza and Heinz Hall's loading dock TICKETS: $5 T-shirt available at American Eagle Outfitter locations DETAILS: www.thecollegecity.com

The "bait" is live indie rock and hip-hop, kayak and Dragon boat rides, Inflatable Jousting and other diversions from the usual local nightclub routine.

The "switch" comes when the coordinators of CollegeCity Weekend plant a seed suggesting that after graduating, the students ought to stay in Pittsburgh.

Members of Pittsburgh's economic development community and the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education, representing 10 local colleges and universities, came up with CollegeCity Weekend after learning three basic facts about the 130,000 students attending 32 Pittsburgh educational institutions:

"It's the sixth largest concentration of college students in America, according a recent survey," says co-producer C. Prentiss Orr. "They rarely go Downtown ... and about 12 percent of them stay in Pittsburgh after graduating."

The event's organizers saw in those numbers a gap between college students and the Pittsburgh community, and a common misperception that a larger number of local grads blow this town as soon as they get their walking papers.

"The exodus isn't as bad as people think," says Orr. "We made the extrapolation that if [students] never come Downtown or see that Pittsburgh can throw a cool party, they're never going to want to stay here after graduation. We want to reinforce the idea that Pittsburgh is a good place to live and start a career."

With a grant from the state and the cooperation of corporate sponsors and the City of Pittsburgh, several Downtown loading-dock alleys will be blocked off for "Unloaded" musical performances. The event coincides with the Head of the Ohio Regatta, a sculling race off the North Shore. Chartered buses will help students with the commute to and from Oakland, and admission comes with the purchase of a $5 event T-shirt on site and in advance at college stores and American Eagle Outfitters. Organizers hope to attract 15,000 students.

"This is a baby step in getting graduates to stay here," says Orr. "But by presenting the 'cool factor,' we can begin making connections between students and the city."

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