New pharmacy celebrates grand opening in Student Stores

The University’s new pharmacy in Student Stores had its grand opening on Wednesday, drawing about 300 students from all over campus.

As the grand opening of the pharmacy got underway, a steady stream of students stopped to look, enter the drawing and ask the pharmacist questions.

Students getting their books for class were able to check their health insurance and buy cough medicine in the same trip.

Within the first hour of the grand opening, the pharmacy had already seen 30 people, Amy Sauls, director of pharmacy at Campus Health Services, said.

Sauls said she hopes students and faculty will benefit from using the pharmacy’s new location.

“We just hope to be more convenient for students,” she said. “If that results in more business, that’s fine.”

Sauls said plans for the new pharmacy began in spring of 2015. Campus Health Services has worked closely with the Student Stores marketing team since then to create the pharmacy.

Sauls said Campus Health Services now runs two pharmacies on campus, one in the Campus Health building on South Campus and now the one in Student Stores.

She said each location will have its own pharmacists, but technicians will work on a rotating basis between the two locations.

Sauls said the new pharmacy opened before students arrived on campus to make sure things were up and running before the grand opening.

“We’ve always wanted a location more (central),” Sauls said.

First-year Randy Fakhreddin came to the pharmacy to enter the grand opening’s drawing for a $200 Student Stores gift card. He said he is excited about the new pharmacy.

“I live on South Campus in Craige, so I don’t want to walk all the way to Franklin Street,” he said.

Fahkreddin said it is a good halfway point if you need medicine.

Leslie McAbee, a graduate student at the University, said the location at Student Stores is more convenient for people going to class or teaching on campus throughout the day.

She said the new location will be especially good for items like cold medicine.

As a graduate student, she lives off campus, so if she needs something while on campus, the options are South Campus or Franklin Street.

She said this location allows for a better alternative than the walk to either extreme.

“I think it’s a really great addition,” McAbee said. “Especially because the other version is at Campus Health.”

She said she’ll probably use it soon as cold and flu season approaches.

Sauls said so far they have only had positive feedback from the students.

She said everyone seems to be excited about the new pharmacy.

The pharmacy is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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