DAN QUAGLIANA
News Editor
All Photos by BECCA TORNCELLO | Special to The Leader
If you’re new on campus this semester, you’ve probably never stepped foot in LoGrasso Hall.
Located between the Kirkland dorm complex and Gregory Hall, LoGrasso Hall normally houses the health and counseling centers, which students can visit through appointments or as a walk-in.
This semester, however, LoGrasso is temporarily closed while it is being repaired and renovated.
Clinical Director of Mental Health Services Jeffrey Janicki specified that “LoGrasso is undergoing an update to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC).”
So where have the services offices gone in the meantime?
For once, the unusually large amount of empty halls on campus was able to be put to good use. The health center has been temporarily moved to Jewett Hall, while the counseling center has been relocated to Igoe Hall.
The health center functions as sort of a mini urgent care. While the medical staff can’t treat major injuries, they can treat non-threatening injuries and illnesses. The services provided inside the Health Center are included in students’ college fees.
The counseling center functions similarly. The staff there offer both individual and group mental health counseling and therapy services to students. This is also included in students’ fees, so students are encouraged to visit if they feel there’s a need to.
Deborah Dibble, the director of the health center, said, “the project started on May 22 and should be completed within the next couple of weeks.”
“We worked with Facility Services to identify an appropriate space on campus that would allow us to provide mental health services without compromising our professional and ethical standards,” Janicki said. “Igoe was the best space available to meet our unique needs.”
Both centers are seeing normal levels of student traffic for this point in the semester — it doesn’t appear that the change in location has affected students’ usage of them.
Dibble said that, “I think the students have enjoyed having us more centrally located in Jewett Hall.”
Students, for their part, seem to agree.
Elena Fitzgerald, a junior music industry major, said, “The health center having a more centralized location is nice, rather than having it on the complete edge of campus. Walking to LoGrasso from the townhouses is a challenge, especially if you feel sick.”
“[The counseling center] communicates our new temporary location when students call to schedule an appointment and in our appointment reminders,” Janicki added.
Fitzgerald added,“At the same time, it feels strange to me that the health center is somewhere that wasn’t made for that purpose.”
LoGrasso Hall’s HVAC upgrade is expected to be completed in September, with the counseling and health centers moving back to their home in the beginning of October over fall break.
