Following the new Frist Health Center’s opening in January 2025, select student-focused administrative offices in the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS) and Office of the Dean of the College (ODOC) moved into the former McCosh Health Center over the summer.
While medical spaces on the first floor of McCosh have been turned into offices and study areas, the second and third floors need to be renovated before more groups move in, University spokesperson Ahmad Rizvi said in a statement to The Daily Princetonian. The repairs, which include painting, carpeting, lighting, and remediation, are taking more time than anticipated due to budget cuts.
“Given the current budget constraints, we are reassessing the funding for this work, which is taking more time than we’d like,” Rizvi wrote.
Three employees of the ODUS Student Engagement team and three employees of the ODUS Finance, Administration, and Information Technology team now have offices located in McCosh, the former McCosh Infirmary, according to the ODUS Staff Directory.
The Health Professions Advising (HPA) office, part of ODOC, has also been relocated to the first floor of McCosh Health.
“The overall goal is to move student-facing administrative groups into McCosh, thus freeing up space in other areas of campus that could be better suited for student activities, student offices, etc,” University spokesperson Ahmad Rizvi explained in a statement to The Daily Princetonian.
The Office of Campus Engagement (OCE) also has a designated space in the former health center, although the office was discontinued in September due to budget cuts. Rizvi explained that OCE moved into McCosh at the end of the 2024–2025 academic year and the suite will be reassigned to another student-facing administrative group later this year.
Kate Fukawa-Connelly, the director of HPA, told the ‘Prince’ in an interview that HPA moved to McCosh in June.
Fukawa-Connelly added that she and her team are happy with the change. “We’re closer to where a lot of our students are taking classes, and we’re much closer than when we were above the U-Store,” she said. She added that her team’s new floor in McCosh was renovated in 2018 and that not much work was needed to convert the space into an office.
Following the announcement of the new Frist Health Center in 2024, students have speculated about potential purposes for the building. In Fall 2023, then-USG president Stephen Daniels ’24 named McCosh Health Center as a possible location for a campus pub, while the Graduate Student Government (GSG) proposed a graduate student center.
Enzo Kho, President of the Undergraduate Student Government, wrote in a comment to the ‘Prince’ that the student pub is not a priority for USG.
“While it’s true that conversations about a pub have circulated for over a decade, the fact that it has never materialized suggests that both student and University priorities have shifted. Our focus right now is on ... support for international students, mental health, dining, and civil liberties,” Kho wrote.
Kho also noted recent USG initiatives to gather student opinions on the space. Multiple student groups have also expressed interest in the space, according to Kho, though he added that he could not disclose which ones.
Rizvi echoed this sentiment, adding that “The Office of Campus Life, ODUS, University Services, Facilities, and the Provost’s Office maintain regular communication with both undergraduate and graduate students regarding space needs.”
Hannah Gabelnick is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Buffalo, N.Y. and typically covers academic policy, institutional legacy, and health.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Read More
SJP x Coffee Club drink review
Irene KimAssociate Editor for The Prospect Irene Kim reviews drinks for Students for Justice in Palestine x Coffee Club event.
Associate Editor for The Prospect Irene Kim reviews drinks for Students for Justice in Palestine x Coffee Club event.
Reduced hours at Frist lead to overcrowding in dining halls, students say
Sena Chang and Katelynn LeeStudents have raised concerns about overcrowding in dining halls, particularly at lunch, following a cutback in late meal hours at the beginning of the semester.
Students have raised concerns about overcrowding in dining halls, particularly at lunch, following a cutback in late meal hours at the beginning of the semester.
No. 13 men’s soccer defeats Army West Point 2–0 to win sixth consecutive game
Hayk YengibaryanThe Tigers No. 13 ranking in the country marks the first time they have been ranked since 2001, when the Tigers were ranked No. 25 for a week.
The Tigers No. 13 ranking in the country marks the first time they have been ranked since 2001, when the Tigers were ranked No. 25 for a week.