Green fences, the sound of jackhammers, dust and blocked traffic
““ these are indicators of progress at UCLA.
For students and faculty, construction often seems incessant.
Much of the campus body recognizes the function construction serves
at a growing university. But unlike faculty, who said they are
sometimes consulted about construction plans, students reported
feeling powerless in making complaints about construction
inconveniences.
“It sucks,” said fourth-year world arts and culture
student Meghan Dempsey.
Dempsey said the accompaniments of construction ““ cement
trucks, inaccessible walk-ways, noise and offensive construction
workers ““ negatively affect the enjoyment of walking around
campus.
“For me, it’s the aesthetics,” she said.
Christina Rosales, a fourth-year economics student, added that
she feels the university has no concern for student advice or
needs.
“If I wanted to complain, I wouldn’t know who to go
to,” said Rosales.
Students living in on-campus housing can file a complaint by
calling the construction complaint hotline, operated by the Sunset
Village front desk.
Christy Abuyen, a second-year psychology student, and her
co-workers are responsible for taking these complaints.
Abuyen said construction complaints have exponentially increased
over the past few weeks because of the renovating of the
first-floor of Sproul Hall.
Construction for this project has been designated to occur
between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
But while construction burdens the campus community with
inconveniences, it also offers the benefits of progress.
“It’s a necessary evil,” said Jason Forella, a
third-year sociology student.
Eric Gans, a second-year mechanical engineering graduate student
who attended UCLA for his undergraduate years, agreed.
“If UCLA really wants to be a premiere university,
construction is unavoidable,” Gans said.
Students are not alone in the discomfort caused by
development.
“Construction, in general, is annoying, but that’s
life,” said professor of physics and astronomy Ernest Abers.
“It’s a necessary thing at a university that’s
growing.”
Faculty generally do not feel as removed from construction
concerns as students because they have a more formidable voice in
the campus development process.
“Faculty are intimately involved in all aspects of
operation of the campus,” said economics professor George
Murphy.
The new physics and astronomy building, being built behind
Knudsen Hall, is one such example.
Prior to the initial plan for the construction of the new
building, a committee made up of faculty formed to offer its input
to architects and Capital Programs.
“We had as much involvement as you can expect for people
who have absolutely no training in architecture or design,”
said Ferdinand Coroniti, professor of physics and astronomy.
He said faculty input was crucial to the hope physics and
astronomy faculty have for the new building.
“It resulted in the design and construction of a building
which the faculty will be pleased to occupy,” he added.
When faculty have not been consulted about construction
projects, problems have occurred.
One of the most recent examples is the Bunche Hall vending kiosk
incident that nearly cost UCLA $100,000 last fall.
The kiosk was built last August to provide graduate students
with safe access to vending machines during nighttime studying. But
the kiosk generated numerous complaints from faculty with offices
in Bunche who said it ruined the aesthetic appeal of the area
surrounding the building.
Murphy said the problem was not caused by poor communication
between administration and faculty, but rather that the university
did not expect an issue as small as a vending kiosk would be a
substantial one for faculty.
In the end, the kiosk, which cost $75,000 to construct, is still
in place.
To prevent future problems like this, UCLA is creating an
administrative position that would oversee space management and
planning.
Currently, UCLA has a number of construction projects, including
the remodeling of the Dance Building, Broad Arts Center and the
John Wooden Center.
“The kids five years from now are still going to see
construction,” said Starsky Cheng, a second-year sociology
student.
“That’s UCLA, it’s always under
construction,” he added.