Renovations continue in the off-campus nursing buildings 

Over the past three years, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette has been working on the transition from Wharton Hall to the new health sciences campus for nursing students. The off-campus buildings are located at 501 W St. Mary Blvd. and are available to students during the same hours as the buildings on the main campus. 

The campus was built in order to make room for more nursing students, as the nursing program is one of UL Lafayette’s largest programs. 

There are two main buildings on the health sciences campus. The other building serves mainly as a faculty space, while James D. Moncus Hall is used for lectures and simulations. As of right now, the majority of the upper-level nursing students attend their classes in James D. Moncus Hall and pre-clinical and graduate students remain at Wharton Hall on the main campus. 

Two of the five levels of James D. Moncus Hall have already been renovated and are actively being used for classes, but the other three levels will soon be ready to use, too. Eventually, a regional simulation center will also be added onto the new campus and the school will be partnering with hospitals around Lafayette to provide space for continuing education within their healthcare staff. 

Dr. Lisa Broussard, dean and professor for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, said, “We anticipate more construction beginning next summer, but that project is already very much underway. It’s estimated that within the next three to four years, we hope that our college will be totally moved out of Wharton Hall, maybe a little bit longer.” 

“It’s a slow transition, but it’s definitely a steady one, and it’s very exciting for our students.” There are four full-time faculty members that remain present on the campus, but there are other staff members who move back and forth between Wharton Hall and the health sciences campus. 

There are a couple of issues that students are concerned with, one of them being the cost of the construction and expansion. However, the money being used for this project has been gifted to UL Lafayette by both the state and an LHC Group. That being said, the new campus will have no effect on students’ tuition or expenses. 

Another dilemma that nursing students specifically are faced with is distance between locations and parking. Some students have to travel back and forth from the two campuses, whether it be for on-campus housing, classes or events, so they are encouraged to keep up with the bus schedule that can take them back and forth. If they would prefer not to take the bus, they can either walk or they can utilize the parking garage directly attached to the health sciences campus. 

Despite the two campuses being fairly close in distance, it is nearly impossible for students to get from one campus to the other in the 15 minutes between their back-to-back classes. The school is working with these students to adjust the class schedules as needed so that they can make it to all classes on time. 

Broussard said, “I think that’s the biggest challenge for the students, those that do still need to be on the main campus for various reasons. That’s something we’re working closely with parking and transit to get students transported back and forth. I think the students would probably say that’s the biggest challenge.” 

The faculty is also working on bringing in food trucks to the health sciences campus since there are no food services located on the campus. 

Sophomore nursing major Coreyion Williams said, “I’m truly grateful that so much time, effort and resources have been invested into building the new health sciences campus.” 

“These new facilities will not only support my growth as a student, but also provide future health professionals with the tools and environment needed to succeed. It’s inspiring to see this kind of commitment to our education and to the future of healthcare.” 

The buildings are being used not only for classes and simulations, but also for various community events and meetings. 

Broussard said, “The more people that we can get down there, the more visibility we have, and more people start to identify that this is an extension of our main campus and our university is just growing.” 

“The more we can have people there and really appreciating and enjoying our beautiful space, the better off it is.” 

Despite the issues that are still being resolved, the addition of the health sciences campus provides both UL Lafayette and the nursing students with more opportunities for growth, while also expanding education to health care workers around Lafayette.