At the College of the Holy Cross, students are finally moved in, decorations are being put up in dorms, classes are beginning, homework is starting to pour in, and competition for study spaces in Dinand Library have started. While the college is as beautiful as ever, there are a few things looming over the buildings that weren't there last year.
Upon arriving on campus, a week before the freshmen moved in, construction was in full-swing all across the campus. Trucks filled with cement and giant claws digging up the earth were dominating several sections of campus. The noise in the morning was dizzying and my biggest question was: are they going to finish this before the freshmen get here?
The first thing I saw was the construction on College Street. It was noisy and blocked off half the road. That construction flowed right into construction on a major exit of the campus, causing the usually-one-way-entrance to accommodate for large trucks to pass by each other entering and exiting the campus grounds. I ran over a cone in the oversized-van I had to drive for the week because it was placed too closely to the curb.
At the end of one of the favorite shortcuts on campus, a large fence was placed in a circle surrounding a gaping hole, while workers dug up whatever needed fixing there. Right outside the doors to Smith, the whole area was blocked off. While it wasn't much of a problem then, the flow of students using that door to get to class would be a problem in the future if the construction continued.
Not to mention, the gigantic building being put at the top of the hill. With the front entrance of the Hart center blocked off, and the shortcut to the fields in the back being built on, any student wishing to get in the Hart center would soon be frustrated with the extra time being spent getting to the back door of the building.
Then a day or two before the freshmen arrived, things started to change.The construction on college street was done. Trucks were leaving. People could get off of the campus through the exit again. Where the hole in front of Smith used to be, there was a gigantic patch of gooey-green grass-growing material. Campus looked great. Then loomed that gigantic, billion-dollar project on the top of the hill.
Don't get me wrong, that Athletic center is going to look great when it's finished. It might be an eyesore now, but it's got potential. My problem is with access. When are we going to be able to use the front door again? Is this going to be a problem when basketball season starts? Why does the football team get an indoor field but they aren't including a real indoor track?
So, to conclude my report, the construction looks promising; I just want to know what it's status is!
