University Star

However, it was a false alarm—she had only heard the construction underway outside her dorm. Lucatero, English freshman, said it is not uncommon for her to wake up early in the morning to the sound of construction.

Staff at the Alumni House, located off University Dr., said they are sometimes disrupted by nearby construction of the Performing Arts Center Garage.

Buildings being constructed have been a fixture on the Texas State campus for years, but faculty, staff and some students like Lucatero said this results in daily inconveniences.

Kim Gannon, director of Alumni Relations, said in summer 2011 construction began around the Alumni House.  She said employees started to notice the noise caused by construction when brick walkways between the Alumni House and Sterry Hall were knocked down and hauled away.

“(The walkway removal) was the most (faculty and staff in the Alumni House) have felt other than the big trucks,” Gannon said. “That was really what moved our pictures and moved us a little.”

The Alumni House has lost power and water several times as a result of nearby construction, she said.

“The crews have been very good about fixing those things in a timely manner, but honestly, that throws our work off more than noise or equipment outside,” Gannon said.

Treva Richards, resident assistant at Sterry Hall, said residents on the south side of the dorm last year were provided earplugs because the construction going on outside was so loud. She said female residents were also told to make sure their blinds were closed because construction workers were often right outside their windows in the morning.

Richards, exercise and sports science junior, said Sterry residents were offered a lower room fee because of construction last year. She said the south side of the dorm is closed now.

“Last year it was really a struggle when (construction workers) were pouring cement all the time,” Richards said. “We would get emails a day before that said, ‘Just to let you know, there’s going to be a concrete pour at two in the morning. So, if you want some earplugs they’ll be at the front desk.’”

Residence Life did not return calls for comment.

Some of the construction sites were at central locations on campus, which students said forced them to take longer or different routes to class. Lucatero said she has a class in the Theatre Center, which is close to her dorm. However, she has had to take an inconvenient route to class because of construction.

“I have to go all the way around instead of going straight. It takes me longer to get to class than it should,” Lucatero said. “I didn’t even know Commons (Dining Hall) was there because of construction.”

Javier Garcia, exercise and sports science freshman, lives in Butler Hall. Garcia said though campus construction will pay off in the end, it is currently “kind of a bother.”

“The worst part is having to walk around construction on a rainy day because it gets flooded in certain areas,” Garcia said. “(Students) have to walk through big puddles as opposed to walking straight across where the construction is.”

Courtni Eaton, health information management senior, is a student worker at the Catholic Student Center on Concho Street. She has seen traffic get congested on Concho Street because some lanes are closed from construction. Eaton said she has heard students say parking at the Catholic Student Center is a hassle because the traffic causes them to have to circle several times.

Gannon said Alumni House employees park at the Woods Street Parking Garage by the Undergraduate Admissions Center.  Some employees have to park across campus at the Pleasant Street Parking Garage. Both student and faculty parking spaces have been lost, she said.

Campus construction can be inconvenient at times, but Gannon said it is understandable and only temporary.

“I think (the construction) will be very beneficial in the long run. In some respects you just have to put up with that disruption,” Gannon said. “In the end, it’s an
enhancement.”