The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University
Volume XCV | Est. 1929 | www.sjuhawknews.com
Sept. 28, 2016
Damaged sculpture to be replaced and relocated CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20 Special to The Hawk
Game time: Students gather to watch the first presidential debate in Forum Theater on Monday, Sept. 26. (Photo by Ana Faguy, ’19)
Renovations revealed
Remodeled Student Health Center reopens on campus ANA FAGUY ’19 News Editor The Saint Joseph’s University Student Health Center, located in Sourin Residence Center, underwent renovations in summer 2016 and is debuting a new look this fall semester. After undergoing a program review, feedback given to the Office of Student Life said that changes needed to be made. “That summer of 2015, we had come up with the idea of just maybe reconfiguring the space we already have,” said Laura Hurst, director of Student Health Services. “Not necessarily reinventing the wheel, but kind of flipping what we had to make the waiting room more private, to control the crowd a little bit, to give it more of a doctor’s office feel.” The main changes that the reviewers noted were ones that Hurst and the Health Center also acknowledged. Previously, the Health Center had a lack of privacy. With the updates, the new
office has given both students and Health Center employees their own spaces. “The [new] waiting room is larger,” Hurst said. “[It] also provides more privacy. So once students come in from the waiting room to the exam area I think it’s a little bit more controlled and quiet and private. Students have the opportunity to come around and talk to Marlene [Harper, administrative assistant of the Health Center] through either the window or with the door shut. So if you’re making an appointment, not everyone in the waiting room hears what you’re making an appointment for.” In addition, both the reviewers and the Health Center employees noted that not every patient room had a sink. The renovations improved the room’s amenities. “Every exam room now has a sink in it, which as a provider, is a wonderful thing,” Hurst added. Students who know both the old
and the new Health Center recognize the changes. “It seems that the new measures taken by the Student Health Center allow us more privacy,” said Kelly White, ’17. “The shape of the [Health Center] is different than before, so there are less people you have to walk in front of and it’s more discreet.” According to Cary Anderson, Ph.D., vice president for Student Life and associate provost, he likes the way the space was redisigned so that students can go straight into the waiting area. At this point there are no plans for further expansion out of the dedicated space in Sourin Residence Center. “I think right now we are good where we are,” Hurst said. “I think we’ve done as much as we can with the current space that we have, as far as fitting exam rooms and things into it.”
The updated Student Health Center includes a renovated waiting room for increased privacy as well as sinks in each room, shown here by Maria Konol, RN. (Photos by Luke Malanga, ’20.)
The statue of the Virgin Mary that stood between Saint Mary’s Hall and McShain Hall has been gone for almost a year. The statue was originally erected around 1949 and depicted Mary with open arms. Facing McShain Hall, she welcomed all students who lived there. “Saint Mary’s Hall, at that time when the statue went up, was purchased by the Sisters of Bon Secours. It’s an order of nuns and they have nursing homes and hospital care. Patient care is their mission,” said Carmen Croce, curator of the University Art Collection. The statue was put up when the Sisters of Bon Secours took over the building. It was originally on the hill that Saint Mary’s Hall sits on and looked onto City Avenue. “When we built McShain, we moved the statue down to the front entrance of the house and that’s where it remained,” Croce said. It remained there until landscapers knocked it over last spring semester. It was broken to an unrepairable point and has to be replaced. “It was a beautiful statue,” said Renee Kontos, ’17, a Resident Assistant on the Merion Campus staff. “I enjoyed looking at it. Who knows, maybe they’ll replace it with something soon.” “We have a new one. The president approved it and we bought it over the summer. I believe it is sitting in storage,” Croce said. “We are not putting it in the same place. It was too close to the entrance and was in harm’s way.” Croce explained that because there are so many other preparations to do during the summer for the new academic year, they never got around to replacing the new sculpture. It is supposed to be put on a higher base, and a berm is going to be made around it, so the storm drain can drain properly, but won’t take attention away from the sculpture. “The sculpture that was there was more of a garden sculpture. The one we are replacing it with is a sculpture of much higher quality than the one that was damaged,” said Croce. Still, Croce is saddened to see the original one gone after it was there for so long. There are many different kinds of statues that depict Mary on our campus. The Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Lourdes, and Our Lady of Grace are just a few. The new sculpture is going to be the same depiction as the original, which was Our Lady of Grace. The new sculpture will be installed as soon as possible. It is supposed to make its new appearance by this semester, but the date is unclear as of now. “It’s been 50 to 65 years now. I think that is why some people want to see it replaced,” Croce said. “It was there for 65 years and we didn’t think it was a very fitting end to have it knocked over and not have it replaced. It seemed like the right thing to do.”