Your nutrition class is about to get a little noisy.
According to Nursing students, the first days of classes went smoothly but for a few interruptions caused by building construction, leading professors to complain out loud about the sounds of jackhammers.
Which means that improved facilities at the School of Nursing's Claire M. Fagin Hall may come with a cost in disruptions, in addition to the hefty $15 million price tag.
The building is entering the second phase of renovations, targeting the upper floors, which house mostly administrative areas and faculty offices.
This phase is scheduled to be completed in August 2008, but, according to administrators, it will be well worth the wait.
"What we're really planning to do is create a much better environment," said Pat Burke, executive director of finance and administration at the Nursing School. "This will be a far better environment, not only for faculty and staff, but for students."
As part of the construction, 80 faculty offices were moved to facilities at 40th and Chestnut streets, and classes this past summer were moved to other campus buildings.
First semester classes were unable to be moved as a result of course registration concerns, Burke said.
Disruptions to classes should be minimal, according to Burke, especially since the worst part of the construction - the demolition phase - is nearing completion.
"We'll enter the construction phase in about a month," he explained, noting that the project is on schedule.
To minimize inconvenience until then, most of the noisiest construction is scheduled for early in the morning, he said.
But according to some students like Nursing sophomore Kaci Kapczynski, the noise is "definitely noticeable" and can be disruptive. "It's not terrible, but is present," she said.
Still, for many, the building's first major face lift in its 35-year history is less of an inconvenience than a welcome sign for the future.
"There have been lectures where we could hear jackhammers," Nursing junior Lindsay Alwine said. "But I haven't really been inconvenienced. I'm glad for what they've done so far."
The first phase of construction, completed three years ago, included the renovation of several of the building's classrooms and ground-floor auditorium, upgrades that Alwine said have greatly improved the building's technological capacities.
"I'm delighted they got it done," she said. "Being able to access that kind of technology has really helped us."
The third phase of construction, not yet underway, will include the addition of teaching labs and further upgrades to already renovated areas of the building.
