Construction dominates life at Tech

The more I think about it, the more I wonder why grumbling about construction and the inconveniences of campus improvement projects has not been officially sanctioned as a Tech tradition, or, at the very least, a popular pastime. Just making a list of all of the projects and their related inconveniences that have gone on since I started at Tech would take awhile, and that list would be merely a fraction of what has happened in the past 10 or 15 years.

What really got me thinking about this was working on the Tech WikiProject on Wikipedia, the purpose of which is to create, expand and improve Tech-related entries on Wikipedia, including its history. Part of the discussion regarding the article's expansion has revolved around the physical expansion of the campus itself. How did the campus come to occupy the whole of the area that it currently does? What were the impetuses for various leaps forward in development? When did significant expansions and developments occur? These are just a couple of questions that examining campus development in a historical context can answer.

We all grumble about construction, and it's a pain, but to anyone who has studied at Tech (especially in recent years), it seems to be a fact of life. I quite literally experienced the effects of campus improvement from day one­-­the renovation of Woodruff Dining Hall was behind schedule, and for the first several weeks of my first semester at Tech, all of campus had the option of using their meal plans in the Student Center food court as well as Brittain Dining Hall. This was a decidedly positive consequence of a delayed project. Unfortunately, subsequent projects and delays haven't provided me (or the rest of campus) with acceptable "inconveniences."

Despite the disruption of foot and automobile traffic throughout campus and the seemingly quantum parking zones that construction and improvement seem to inevitably cause, there is also a certain "cool-factor" of watching a huge structure like the Klaus Building rise up out of the ground or seeing a total transformation of a space, like the renovation of the Bookstore Mall into the Student Center Commons or even the current renovations in the Student Center. Of course, the coolest part of all is realizing, "Oh, hey, it's done!" Because, let's be honest, construction wears out its welcome pretty quickly.

One place where it seems to be doing just that is the intersection of Ferst Drive and Atlantic Drive. The Klaus building, following several road closings, bus re-routings and delays, has finally been completed, but right on its tail comes the Nanotechnology Research Center, located more or less on the opposite corner of the same intersection. Both buildings are mammoth structures, and they each promise to bring another aspect of uniqueness to the campus. Personally, I look forward to seeing what comes about following the completion of a building with the largest clean room space in the region.

However, that doesn't negate the fact that I'm also looking forward to the day where the construction fences come down, the mud is replaced with grass and sidewalk, the roads re-open and the bus stops permanently return to their original locations.

Tech Square is an area that is currently experiencing the exhilaration that follows a long stretch of construction projects. The completion of the Fifth Street bridge expansion has (at least for awhile) capped off a construction marathon that began with the Spring Street pipe replacement over the Summer 2005 semester. Even though these weren't specifically Tech construction projects, they still decidedly inconvenienced the campus community for the duration, and since their completion, the same community that was inconvenienced is now reaping the benefits of the improvements. This eventual outcome is what we all need to keep in mind about the perpetual work-in-progress our campus seems to be.

However, that doesn't mean that I plan to quit grumbling, nor does it mean I'm suggesting anyone else should. Grumbling and complaining are among the things Tech students do best, even when our logical side knows that whatever we're complaining about is likely to work out for the better in the end. Of course, our logical side also nags about inefficiencies that cause delays, which cause more inconveniences that cause us to complain more. It's a vicious cycle.

But it's also part of that love-hate relationship that we all seem to have with the Institute-a relationship, which, if you haven't cultivated yet, you probably haven't been here long enough.