We’re tired of never-ending construction on campus
Forget senior photos on the quad unless you want orange tape in the background
Bulldozers. Dump trucks. Orange tape. Construction signs. You’ve seen them all, and you’ve probably seen them every day since you got to UNC.
Whether the asbestos project in the Quad or the pipelining at the Dean Dome, this past year has been full of projects to renovate and make the campus “better.” However, I don’t know a single student who walked through the Upper Quad, saw all the orange tape for the thousandth day in a row and thought: “Wow, this adds so much color to my day. I’m so glad this work is being done to protect me from unknown carcinogens. Thanks, UNC!”
On the contrary, the grass is still two different colors, mud stains the bricks and new projects spring up every day. Recently, a big hole was dug across from the Arboretum near Spencer. And we don’t know why.
Obviously, this isn’t a new issue. Construction isn’t the end of the world, either, but it can definitely be frustrating. When I would bring a tour group through the quad last year, I was always asked what the construction was for and when it would end.
The honest answer of asbestos wasn’t a good reply to prospective parents, but neither was telling them I wasn’t sure when it would end. The reality was, I had heard five different dates and four of them had already passed.
What can be done? Probably nothing. The university deems certain projects necessary, puts them on a timeline and they’re carried out. Right now, master building plans for the next several years are being made. In other words, a lot of future building plans and construction projects are being planned.
Hypothetically though, wouldn’t it be cool if they took a year off? What if once every four years there was no mud, no big trucks, no tacky orange and we got to enjoy the campus exactly how it was? That way every UNC student would get a year in their time at the university to enjoy a non-construction invaded campus.
There are some things that are unavoidable: students are going to take bricks, buildings will occasionally need immediate repairs, etc. But in terms of big projects, why not have some time to appreciate the beauty of the campus?
I don’t think any one of us decided to come to Carolina for what was going to be done, what we wanted to see changed. Instead, we all had one of those moments when everything fell in to place. This was the place we wanted to be our home.
Granted, change can be good. Safety should be a top priority. But a house becomes a home when some sort of permanence is involved, and constant change on campus takes away from the overall beauty we know is in every corner.
Why shouldn’t we have a year of our college career to enjoy the beauty without any orange tape?