In the spring 1975 semester, four St. Joe’s students spent a semester in Wheeling, West Virginia, as part of the Appalachian Semester Program. 

An undated pale yellow pamphlet found in the St. Joe’s Archives Collection depicts the Appalachian mountain range, with the words “SEE APPALACHIA” in black and white. “SEE” serves as an acronym for “Service Exploration Encounter.” When unfolded, the pamphlet reveals a letter from a student who previously participated in the program, urging other students to do the same.

Students in the program lived and studied at Wheeling College (now Wheeling University) and spent time doing service in exchange for credits, according to a Jan. 24, 1975, issue of The Hawk. The semester-long program at the then Jesuit institution is also listed in St. Joe’s course catalogs from 1975 to 1984. 

The early years of the program, which featured opportunities to learn more about poverty and the coal mining industry in West Virginia, encouraged experiential learning through field placements as a part of the Program of Studies in Peace and Human Development, a predecessor to the Faith-Justice Institute, according to documents in the archives.  

Donna Orem ’76 was one of four students to enroll in the program in the spring of 1975.

“A lot of the program was about learning really about how coal mining impacted West Virginia,” Orem said. “We went down into a coal mine, which was fascinating and scary, and I couldn’t imagine working there your entire career. We learned a lot about the health effects of coal mining [and] the poverty in West Virginia.”

Orem said the classes she took and the service she did at Wheeling had a fundamental impact on her. 

“I was an English major, and I decided, ‘You know, there are a lot of ills in this world,” Orem said. “‘Maybe I should use what I thought was my gift,’ and that was words. It was actually that trip that inspired me to pursue a masters degree in journalism.” 

Campus Ministry currently runs The Appalachian Experience , known before that as  “Project: Appalachia,” where students spend a week during spring break doing service at immersion sites in the region. 

Orem said she thinks experiences like the Appalachian Semester and APEX are valuable, especially now. 

“Anything that St. Joe’s can do to break down those barriers and stereotypes that we seem to buy into so easily today is such an important thing,” Orem said.