YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State University officials are defending the university’s efforts to help Eastern Gateway Community College students after some accused the university of misleading them.

When EGCC announced in February that financial insolvency would force it to close its doors at the end of this semester, YSU was among many regional institutions that worked to ensure EGCC students could continue their education.

But last week, some students called out YSU and EGCC, going so far as to say both institutions lied to them about transferring their credits into new programs at YSU’s Steubenville Campus.

Sara Michalszyk, associate dean at YSU’s Bitonte College of Health and Human Services, which oversees the radiology and respiratory care programs, said about 16 or 17 students have been left out, but it was not for the university’s lack of trying.

“It’s really devastating for these students, but YSU has helped so many students, and it’s so sad to me when I hear rumors or misinformation that we’re not willing to help,” Michalszyk said. “That emotionally affects me, because so many of my staff have worked overtime in such a short period, so these students would feel no impact.”

She said 11 students in radiology and five or six in respiratory care will not be able to enroll in associate degree programs that line up with what they were pursuing at EGCC. Michalszyk said the problem is with accreditation for the programs.

In the advent of EGCC’s announcement, she said, Bitonte has created or revived eight different associate degrees and six certification programs. Many of those programs were discontinued when EGCC started up in 2009. Michalszyk said EGCC was able to offer the programs to students at a much cheaper cost.

“When we start transitioning from talking about large approval systems to programmatic approval systems, the conversation begins to shift, and that’s where the problem began with these two specific programs in Steubenville,” she said.

To create a program, the university and college have had to apply through the State of Ohio, but the accrediting agencies were a different story.

For the radiology program, the university needs accreditation by JRCERT, the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology. For respiratory, the accrediting agency is COARC, the Commission On Accreditation for Respiratory Care. While YSU has COARC accreditation for its bachelor’s program, the EGCC students made it clear they only wanted an associate’s program, Michalszyk said.

The university appealed to both agencies to fast-track approval of the new programs. Michalszyk said they were approaching program orientation, set for April 25, without any word from JRCERT or COARC. When they reached out on April 23, both agencies said they could not fast-track the accreditation and YSU would have to apply for a full board approval of the programs, a process that takes 12 to 18 months.

Michalszyk said she asked if students could be enrolled in the programs while the university sought accreditation and if those students would then be retroactively licensed as graduates from an accredited program once the process was completed. They were told no.

“They can still transfer in at that level, but for, say radiology, certain agencies like the VA only want professionals from JRCERT accredited programs, because it shows a certain level of competency,” Michalszyk said. YSU can only offer the program at the level of ARRT (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists) accreditation, which is not the same as the JRCERT programs in which EGCC students were enrolled.

Student Laine Murphy posted last week on social media blasting YSU for only notifying students the day before orientation.

“This email came as a shock to all of us who had been under the impression we would be able to go to YSU and continue in an accredited program,” she wrote. “While I understand YSU does not control our accreditors, they also have not right to promise us a future in something that does not exist.”

Murphy wrote that students felt YSU strung them along for two months while they could have been applying instead at Belmont College in St. Clairsville, about an hour from Steubenville.

Michalszyk said she is heartbroken for the students affected.

“These students have every reason to be upset,” she said. “I tell my advisers and staff, look how many you have helped. But we were unsuccessful in this one.”

She said the university will seek full approval for the programs so they will be available for students in the future.

Interim Provost Jennifer Pintar said Michalszyk is right to defend the university and her college.

“She’s correct. YSU didn’t ‘mess up.’ We are doing everything we can to assist students impacted by EGCC closing. We have truly been moving mountains but some, like accreditation, are out of our hands.”

Pintar said one other program is impacted by accreditation issues, but did not say which one.

Michalszyk said students transferring in have been helped by state efforts to minimize damage.

“The state has worked with us, because they want to work with one institution to help these students with tuition offset,” she said. “That is still being developed, but it’s looking like they’re going to handle it as a scholarship to offset the extra cost between EGCC and YSU.”

Michalsyzk also placed responsibility where she believes it truly belongs.

“This is not the students’ fault, or the faculty. Everything at EGCC falls on administration,” she said.

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