Villanova forum sheds light on student concern

On Wednesday, Dec. 6, undergraduate students gathered at Widener Lecture Hall for a meeting with Cabrini President Helen Drinan and Dr. Michelle Filling-Brown, dean of Academic Affairs. 

The forum, hosted by the Student Government Association, allowed students to learn more about the Villanova deal’s future and present any questions they may have.  

Who will be considered an alum? 

Cabrini will celebrate its final graduating class in spring 2024. Beyond that point, students who haven’t graduated will not be  considered alumni. Alumni events will only include people who have graduated from Cabrini University. However, students are more than welcome to join the Cabrini University Alumni Facebook group, as endorsed by President Drinan. 

Students who transfer to partner and non-partner schools will become alumni of that institution once they graduate.  

How will Villanova use the campus?  

Contrary to the first published reports, Cabrini will not be used as a law school. Drinan noted the possibility of the campus becoming freshman housing for Villanova, but said nothing can be confirmed at this point.  

Villanova will preserve Cabrini’s foundational values by keeping the name. They’ll also maintain the Wolfington Center’s name as it aligns with their values. During the forum, Dr. Filling-Brown noted that Villanova will host a yearly event to celebrate Mother Cabrini and women’s leadership. 

What will happen to the records? 

All Cabrini records will be housed by Villanova. This includes diplomas and transcripts. They’ll also acquire the archive which consists of all items documenting Cabrini’s history: yearbooks, St. Francis Cabrini artifacts, and much more.  

Additionally, when Cabrini closes, a new corporation will be formed to handle all financial matters (including tax records) for both students and staff.  

What else is important to know? 

Files held on student emails may not be available after the 2024 spring semester. In

preparation, all students should export important files from their school email before next May.  

Filling-Brown also encouraged students to attend their one-on-one transfer meetings. She provided multiple examples of students who ended up in bad situations because they immediately transferred without utilizing the resources provided. Filling-Brown said, “Schools are taking advantage of Cabrini students because they know students are in a vulnerable situation.” 

How the forum came to be 

SGA President Abigail Flanagan, senior health science major, wanted a town hall-style meeting so undergraduates could voice their questions and concerns. SGA felt a responsibility to report the student body’s concerns. “I remember when we all came back to campus, we had no idea what was going on either,” Flanagan explained.

Together, the SGA executive board reached out to Drinan and Filling-Brown for a yearly planning meeting. “We were able to sit with them and just kind of conversate,” Flanagan said. That’s when Flanagan thought of hosting the forum. “They were extremely open to it,” Flanagan said. “We just had to wait until the deal was finalized. That was honestly just so we could allow kids to answer questions and get more answers. A lot of things we asked, they didn’t have an answer to at that point.” 

Student perception 

Hannah Boone, senior educational studies major, attended the event in the hopes of getting clarity about the school closure. By the end of the forum, she felt reassured. “I feel like I’m more informed than I was before and so I feel more secure,” she said. “I just think it was a positive experience overall.”

Jermire Smith, sophomore political science major, agreed. “I think the event accomplished what it set out to do. It was very straightforward. The panelists were very in-depth with their responses. I feel much more aware of what will be happening going forward than prior, as there wasn’t much concrete info.”