Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences (PA College) is now officially St. Joe’s Lancaster campus following the finalization of the merger Jan. 3. Around 250 faculty, staff and students celebrated the merger Jan. 12 at the Lancaster campus.
What will student support look like at the Lancaster campus?
Director of Student Success and Student Life Systems Daniel McDevitt, Ed.D., said St. Joe’s is currently working on extending the Office of Student Success to the Lancaster campus.
McDevitt said students at the Lancaster campus currently still have access to the academic resources they had before the merger, including Learner Support, which provides peer tutoring, workshops and learning strategies consultations. The SJU Writing Center is also now available to Lancaster campus students through online appointments.
“Myself and many of my colleagues have been working for months now as we plan the merger to make sure that services and resources are going to be provided to students on the Lancaster campus just as they are [at Hawk Hill and University City],” McDevitt said.
According to the university’s website, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) are currently limited to students at Hawk Hill and UCity.
Is the PA College of Health Sciences campus in Lancaster designed to be fully accessible for students with disabilities?
Since both buildings at the Lancaster campus were built after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, they are federally required to be physically accessible to people with disabilities.
“They actually have newer buildings than a lot of the buildings here that we have on Hawk Hill,” said Christine Mecke, director of student disability services. “They’re required by the ADA to make sure they have accessible bathrooms, elevators in all the buildings and classrooms wide enough for wheelchair users to get through.”
Mecke said accommodations are also being offered at the Lancaster campus as they are at Hawk Hill and UCity, such as extended time for testing and testing in distraction-free areas.
What will happen with student clubs and organizations across campuses?
Clubs and organizations from PA College continue to be available for students at the Lancaster campus, such as Student Council, Admissions Student Ambassadors, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA), Student Nurses’ Association of PA (SNAP) and numerous honor societies.
Beth Hagovsky, Ed.D., director of student leadership and activities, said while students at the Lancaster campus are encouraged to join clubs and organizations at Hawk Hill and UCity, there is no expectation that students will travel between campuses since Lancaster is over an hour drive from both Hawk Hill and UCity. Hagovsky also said there is no expectation that Hawk Hill and UCity student organizations will travel to Lancaster to promote their activities.
Despite the distance, Hagovsky said she still hopes Lancaster students will feel welcome on Hawk Hill and UCity campuses.
“We hope that all of our students feel welcome to come to any of the programs and events, athletic events, whatever it might be,” Hagovsky said. “Hopefully our students from the Lancaster campus will at different times feel encouraged and be interested to come to Hawk Hill or University City for events.”
Are Lancaster campus community members invited to attend Day of Dialogue?
Members of the Lancaster campus are welcome and encouraged to attend Day of Dialogue sessions, either in-person on Hawk Hill or online.
Shuttles will be provided between campuses for Day of Dialogue, which is being held Feb. 13, said Kevin Gfeller, assistant director of public relations for the office of marketing and communications in a written response to The Hawk.
Gfeller said students are required to complete their course of study either in Lancaster or Philadelphia, and traveling to and from Lancaster will not be necessary.
