Hey UMass, it’s time we had a little chat.

As a student here, I obviously have to walk around campus each and every day to go to class, meet up with friends, or just go get something to eat. Yes, I suppose I could drive but I don’t have a car on campus, and walking each day is an easy way to get some exercise in. Back when I was a freshman, I pretty much memorized the campus layout, and by the end of my first year, I essentially knew the campus like the back of my hand, with the exception of Sylvan.

However, after I came back for my Sophomore year, it seemed that multiple construction sites had sprung up. At first, I was slightly annoyed, but I soon managed to change my usual ways of commuting around campus to avoid the construction zones. I figured that by the next semester, the construction would be all done- after all, how many new buildings does a campus need?

But, it wasn’t done next semester. And by fall semester 2017, the start of my Junior year, there were even more construction sites scattered across campus. At this point, I don’t think I have ever seen the campus without a construction site present. Not only is this pretty annoying from an aesthetic standpoint (at this point I'm growing tired of every friend and family member who visits asking me "so, is this place always under construction?"), but it’s also annoying when it comes to the walkability of campus.

Think about it this way: after being on campus for a few years, you generally have a pretty good sense of where everything is. Now, for most majors, classes to tend to be in a certain set of buildings (in my case, as a communications major, I tend to have the majority of my classes in the ILC, with a few in buildings in the surrounding area). After a while, you tend to have a set path of how to get to class each day. So oftentimes, at the start of a new semester, you might not necessarily wake up extra early to get to class, since you have a pretty good idea of how to get there. However, as you make your way to whatever your first class of the day is, you find your path cut off by a new construction site. At this point, you’re faced with either going around the site, or turning back and finding a different route. Unfortunately, you might be late to class either way.

Not only do the campus construction sites make your daily class commute difficult, they also seem to last forever. I’m not claiming to be a construction expert by any means, but almost every construction site I’ve seen at other locations has had its project completed in a few months. Yet for some reason, the UMass sites seem to last multiple semesters. I understand that the results are impressive- the design building is beautiful and based off the drawings online, the current Isenberg project looks like it's going to be a modern design masterpiece. Maybe it's the innovative designs of the buildings that lead to their long construction process, but although good things are worth the wait, am I wrong to say that the wait seems to be a little too long?

I guess what I’m trying to say is: UMass, what’s up with all the construction? I understand the need to renovate, but it’s really starting to seem like you’re just building things because you can, and honestly, it’s getting pretty annoying. After all, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. I understand that this may seem like a very unimportant thing to complain about, but I honestly just want to know what's up.

Please feel free to email me or even send a DM explaining what’s going on, because I would really like some answers.

Sincerely,

Sarah