Along with late-night runs to Puzzles and procrastination,
construction projects have become a part of daily life for students
living on the Hill.
Construction, such as the first-floor renovations of Hedrick and
Sproul halls and the building of new residence halls, has resulted
in lifestyle changes for students in the area.
These changes include getting used to noise, dust and the
occasional sign on bathroom doors asking students not to worry when
they see brown water flowing from the faucets.
Many students said they are now accustomed to the noise and
inconveniences of construction, and are only especially annoyed
when minor construction accidents force them to evacuate the
dorms.
“There’s times when it’s not too bad and you
become immune to it. But I definitely don’t appreciate having
to leave my room because a fire alarm has gone off, and I know
it’s a construction accident,” said first-year
undeclared student Becky Lei.
After two quarters of living in the residence halls, many
first-year students have become acclimated to the various sounds
associated with a construction site, as well as the periodic
evacuations.
“When they mess up at 8 in the morning and the fire alarm
goes off, it’s not pleasant. … But we’ve basically
adjusted to it,” said David Foory, a first-year biology
student.
The constant stresses of construction have become so common that
many students living on the Hill have learned to phase out the
yells of construction workers and beeps of cement trucks.
In addition, many students understand the construction is aimed
at improving the currently cramped housing situation.
“When I walk to campus, it impresses me that UCLA is
always trying to improve,” Lei said.
Many students consider the various renovation and construction
projects meant to improve the housing situation on the Hill a
necessary evil, but the stress is harder to bear some days than
others.
“The loud banging that’s impossible to sleep through
has woken me up many a morning,” said Lei.
Jack Gibbons, associate director of the Office of Residential
Life, said student surveys report satisfaction and that more
students are coming back to live at the residence halls than in
previous years.
“Students do complain, but it seems that they are
generally accepting of the construction conditions,” he
added.
Throughout the school year, the level of minor
construction-related accidents has remained constant and is typical
of a construction site, Gibbons said.
The concentration of accidents has varied from residence hall to
residence hall, according to the amount of construction occurring,
said Amp del Rosario, construction mitigator for ORL.
During fall quarter, Sproul Hall witnessed the most construction
accidents, del Rosario said, including an incident in November when
a construction worker hit a sprinkler head, setting off the
sprinkler system and fire alarm.
Hedrick Hall experienced the highest number of construction
accidents during winter quarter, del Rosario added, including
numerous evacuations resulting from fire alarms going off.
Many ORL and housing staff have gained experience from
construction projects over the years, and have invented many ways
to alleviate the impact on students.
Students are most inconvenienced when emergency construction
accidents occur and they are forced to evacuate their rooms. In
such situations, “oops mitigation” comes into play,
said Gibbons.
Staff members immediately try to communicate with students, and
let them know what the problem is and how long the inconvenience
will last, del Rosario said.
Along with the attention to communication, staffers also attempt
to soften the impact of construction by offering incentives like
Krispy Kreme nights at Rieber Hall and breakfast in bed for
students at Hedrick Hall.
While students say they are not hugely impressed with the
mitigation attempts, many have accepted the construction as a part
of everyday life.
“The construction workers are just doing their job ““
it’s not their fault when they mess up. … I can understand
that,” Lei said.