A total conversion of St. Vincent Hall to student residential
space was completed this summer, adding almost 200 beds to St.
John’s University’s on-campus housing capacity. Later this month
first- and second-year students enrolled in the University’s
innovative Ozanam
Scholars Program, as well as a number of students who have
chosen to join a St. John’s Learning Community, will move in and
make the space their own.
Photo
Gallery
With a few exceptions, St. Vincent’s three residential floors
are now configured as suites. The suites consist of two bedrooms
occupied by three students each connected by a common bathroom. On
the first floor, where some handicapped-accessible bedrooms are
located, the bathrooms are large enough to accommodate a sink; on
the second and third floors, the bathrooms are slightly smaller and
a small sink has been installed in each bedroom.
Amenities in the dormitory include two comfortable student
lounges furnished with upholstered chairs and sofas, one on the
first floor and one on the lower level, as well as offices and
conference rooms on the lower level for students’ use. Throughout
the residence, new furniture, flooring and paint contribute to the
building’s brand-new look and feel.
Residents Will Take Part in Specialized
Vincentian Program
St. Vincent Hall had previously been home to the Vincentian
community of priests and also housed the University’s Office of
Undergraduate Admissions and the Vincentian Center for Church and
Society, which were located on the first floor. Although the
Admissions Office and Vincentian Center remain in St. Vincent—now
on the lower level and accessible through a door at the rear of the
building—the first, second and third floors have been transformed
to provide a unique housing option in which students live together
and participate in specially tailored activities.
Among those living in the new, fully air-conditioned dormitory
are the Ozanam Scholars, who have committed themselves to solving
the real-world problem of social injustice and poverty around the
globe. The Ozanam Scholars program was introduced in early 2007 and
is intended to create, according to Executive Vice President and
COO James P. Pellow,
“21st Century global citizens.” Those wishing to be Ozanam Scholars
must apply directly to the program for admission to St. John’s, not
through the standard Admissions process. This year, the program’s
second, the Ozanam Scholars will participate in a newly created,
inventive Vincentian program and be involved in service
activities.
Students from three of the University’s Learning
Communities—Career Management, The Peter J. Tobin College of
Business, and Government Relations—will also live in St. Vincent
Hall and are welcome to take advantage of the programs offered
there. The Social Justice Learning Community will be living in Da
Silva Hall as that dormitory’s Resident Director is an active
member of the group, and will participate in the Vincentian
programs.
According to Jacqueline Grogan, Director for Learning
Communities at St. John’s, that new Vincentian program “will honor
the heritage of the Vincentian priests who served others while
residing in St. Vincent Hall and will bring St. Vincent de Paul to
life on campus by exploring his life and accomplishments.”
Grogan says that the program, which she describes as “a work in
progress,” is the result of a collaboration with Associate Director
of Resident Life Eric Finkelstein
and “many other knowledgeable people—from the Vincentian Center,
the Poverty Center, Campus Ministry and the Ozanam Scholars
program—to deliver the best possible product.” Ultimately, she
notes, once the program is designed, it will be coordinated out of
the Department of Student Affairs under Fr. James J. Maher,
C.M.
“We will be bringing in speakers from St. John’s but also from
outside the University,” she explains, “based on the topic of
discussion and their expertise. We are only at the beginning of
creating the concept and molding the program. Service
opportunities will be available but most importantly a reflective
discussion will follow after each speaker.”
John Carrion, Assistant Director of the Ozanam Scholars Program,
says that bringing together these groups to facilitate learning and
service activities will also foster an atmosphere of close
collaboration. He notes that the new cohort of Ozanam Scholars, 30
strong, attended a summer program immediately after Orientation, in
which they participated in a few Midnight Runs, and enjoyed getting
to know each other as well as the returning cohort of Ozanam
Scholars. The new dormitory is a definite plus, he says, it will be
“a sort of Vincentian hub, where we distinctly honor, celebrate and
explore the Vincentian charism.”