About Tri-Co Philly

Tri-Co sophomores, juniors, and seniors in good academic standing are eligible to participate in the program. 

Students enroll in two Philadelphia-focused courses from different disciplines taught by Tri-Co faculty in Philadelphia.

The urban setting enhances the classroom experience by providing a sense of place, helping students learn firsthand how the material in the courses is informed by the environment around them.

The Tri-Co Philly Program courses will be offered at the Friends Center in Center City. The Friends Center is located at 1501 Cherry Street, at the northwest corner of 15th and Cherry Streets, two blocks north of Suburban Station and City Hall. 

Getting to the Friends Center: Bryn Mawr students will take the Paoli/Thorndale line of Septa’s Regional Rail to Suburban Station. Swarthmore students will take the Media/Elwyn Line to Suburban Station. Haverford students will take the Norristown High-Speed Line, transfer to the Market-Frankford Line at the 69th Street Transportation Center, and exit at the 15th Street/City Hall Station. Train schedules and maps are available on SEPTA’s website.

Note: Costs for travel to classes will be covered for all students. Travel costs for cocurricular and extracurricular programming will also be covered for students accepted into the Philly Program.

Expenses related to travel for classes and cocurricular and extracurricular programming are covered for students accepted into the program. Travel to Tri-Co Philly classes will also be covered for students taking a class but not enrolled in the program. 

Learn about Tri-Co Philly courses here.

The program also includes participation in monthly Philadelphia-based activities—some academic in nature, some connected to issues of social justice, and some simply fun—as well as the opportunity to attend talks and engage with volunteer opportunities in the city.

Students explore the city through neighborhood tours and trips to museums, community-based organizations, archives, and arts and cultural organizations.

Additionally, the program includes an orientation, a mid-semester gathering, and a closing dinner. Learn more.

Tri-Co Philly Program Student Information

• The Tri-Co Philly Program is located in the Friends Center at 1501 Cherry Street in Philadelphia. When you enter the Friends Center, please greet the Friends Center staff member at the reception desk and let them know you are part of the Tri-Co Philly Program and headed to class (at least your first few times!).
• Classroom space/3rd floor - The Tri-Co Philly Program classroom is in the Martin Luther King (MLK) Room on the third floor. From the first floor, take the elevator to the third floor. Turn left off the elevator and walk to the end of the hallway. Turn right and walk down a second hall. The MLK Room is the door at the end of this hall.
• Conference Room/1st floor, room 112 - (for faculty office hours or study/gathering space): This space is in a limited-access section of the building. To visit the conference room for faculty office hours, please call (267) 519-5305 so that a faculty member can let you into the office space. If you don’t have a phone, the Friends Center staff member at the reception desk can call the conference room number. You can also call the Tri-Co Philly office number (267) 519-5303, so staff can let you into the space.
• Tri-Co Philly Office/1st floor - The office is located on the first floor, also in a limited-access section of the building. Please call (267) 519-5303 for access.
• Friends Center reception desk number - (215) 241-7100
• Wi-Fi access - FC_Guest (no password)
• Bathrooms - The bathrooms are located in the hallways near the elevators on all floors. These bathrooms are gendered male/female, but there is an all-gender, accessible bathroom on the first floor between the other bathrooms.
• The Friends Center Restroom Policy - All are welcome to use the restroom that best matches their identity, or that feels safest or most comfortable to them. Please help hold a safe space for everyone by not challenging or questioning others’ restroom choices.
• In case of emergency while in Philadelphia
  • First call 911
  • Then call Respective Campus Safety
    • BMC - (610) 526-7911
    • HC - (610) 896-1111
    • SC - (610) 328-8333
• In case of inclement weather, if Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore Colleges are closed, classes at the Friends Center will be canceled.
• Weather-related information and updates are available at (610) 896-4299 or (610) 328-8228. For closure information, check the schools’ homepages (https://www.brynmawr.edu/, https://www.haverford.edu/, or https://www.swarthmore.edu/).
• Procedure for ordering a bag lunch from your campus’s dining services
  • Bryn Mawr students
    • Online ‘Meal Order Form’ needs to be submitted at least 48 hours prior to pick up
    • Complete and submit this form to place an order. The form will go to Erdman managers Kevin Williams, Althea Reed, and Raymond Bevidas (kwilliam02@brynmawr.edu; akreid@brynmawr.edu and rbevidas@brynmawr.edu).
  • Haverford students
    • Students should email Bruce Levine (blevine@haverford.edu) or John Pohlig (jpohlig@haverford.edu) at least 48 hours in advance.
  • Indicate your lunch choice and any dietary restrictions. Lunch includes a sandwich, fruit, and dessert.
• Swarthmore students
  • At least 3 days prior, email Therese Hopson (thopson1@swarthmore.edu) with the date you’ll need a bag lunch. She’ll reply asking for your meal preferences and time of pick up.
• Food options in the area
  • Reading Terminal: 12th & Arch Sts.
  • Food Trucks: along 15th and 16th streets between JFK Blvd. & Market St.
  • Tableau Cafe: This PAFA student cafe is located on Cherry St. before it hits Broad St. Food Court is in the basement of Comcast Center, at 17th St & JFK Blvd.
• Honor Codes and Code of Conduct
  • Home-campus honor codes, and/or policies, and codes of conduct apply while students are in Philadelphia. Additionally, in their courses, students are responsible for abiding by the honor code and/or policies that apply to the college that offers the courses in which they are enrolled.
    • HC Honor Code
    • BMC Honor Code
    • SC Code of Conduct
• Getting to the Friends Center from campus
  • BMC Students - Take the Paoli/Thorndale Line of Regional Rail from the Bryn Mawr Station to Philadelphia—exit at Suburban Station. Go upstairs and out the east exit. Walk north on 16th St., two blocks to Cherry St. Turn right on Cherry St. and walk one block east to 15th Street. The Friends Center entrance is on the northwest corner of 15th and Cherry Sts. It generally takes between 45 and 55 minutes, but be sure to check the schedule.
  • HC Students - Use the Norristown High-Speed Line. Closest stations are Ardmore Ave Station (if you live in the apartments), and Haverford Station (if you live up campus). Get on the train going to the 69th St. Transportation Center and get off at the 69th St. Transportation Center. Transfer to the Market–Frankford Line, which is downstairs. Get off at the 15th St. Station. After exiting the station, walk north on 15th Street to the corner of Cherry St. The entrance to the Friends Center is on the northwest corner of 15th & Cherry Streets. It generally takes between 45-55 minutes, but be sure to check the schedule.
  • SC Students - Take the Media/Elwyn Line of Regional Rail from the Swarthmore Station to Philadelphia—exit at Suburban Station. Head up the stairs and out the east exit. Walk north on 16th Street two blocks to Cherry St. Turn right on Cherry St. and walk one block east to the corner of 15th & Cherry Streets. The entrance to the Friends Center is on the northwest corner of 15th & Cherry Streets. It generally takes between 45-55 minutes, but be sure to check the schedule.
  • Public Transportation Apps - The SEPTA app is free and a good resource for transit schedules, maps, and more. The Google Maps app is also free and works well for schedules, routes, and maps. 

The Tri-Co Philly Program facilitates engagement with the city—through both grants to support connecting on-campus courses with Philadelphia, and opportunities to teach program courses in the city. Learn more.