After two years in planning, the long anticipated sports dome will soon debut alongside the renovation of a branch of the former Mercy Center, dedicated to Physical and Occupational Therapy. The vice president of finances, Mark Van Etten, recently took the Highlander on a tour of the new buildings.

The OT/PT building, as of the moment unnamed, is a three-floor building featuring a number of amenities geared toward the study of physical and occupational therapies, however, Van Etten welcomes “all students, regardless of major, to use this space for study”. There are more classrooms and multiple new labs including a neurology lab, a pediatrics unit, and a home health lab, where students can practice their craft in a residential-like environment. Study spaces include white board tables and reference books, and common areas feature tables and chairs, outlets for charging, and bean bag cushions, a hit for students.

“The building is pretty much fully functional at this point” Van Etten comments. “All we have left to do is tie up the odds and ends of finer construction.”

On the other side of campus, the sports dome is preparing for athletic use. “The paving is not final; we have to lay down asphalt for the walkway. There is still some fine-tuning to be done.” When the “fine-tuning” is complete, students will be met with some ear-popping from the revolving doors—a technique to keep the air flow controlled, and the dome up and running—and a new 100-yard turf field, complete with descending batting nets and hanging lights. The dome is intended for practice and recreational services only—games will still be held on Mangelsdorf and Tambur fields. Misericordia men’s hockey games, beginning in the 2024 Fall semester, will be held at the Toyota Sportsplex in Wilkes-Barre.

The dome will be named after a contributing Misericordia University alumni, however, Van Etten has not revealed these details yet. Instead, he tells students, “Be on the lookout for announcements coming soon.” regarding the dome’s official debut.