OUR VIEWS Consensus Opinion

Construction has been called the "worst new tradition" at Tech, and with at least one major construction project in progress throughout the past decade, students have become desensitized to the annoyances it brings.

The Marcus Nanotechnology Building, which broke ground in 2006, is expected to open in 2008, but by this point the new Innovative Learning Resources Center construction will have kicked off and students will again find themselves having to take long detours around the heart of campus.

All this construction is not only inconvenient, but occasionally unsafe. When the sidewalks on major pedestrian thoroughfares are abruptly closed, students are forced to make dangerous street crossings.

Despite all this, when looking at the buildings constructed in the past decade, it is impossible not to appreciate the benefits of the new construction. Facilities like the Environmental Science and Technology Building, the College of Management and most recently, the Klaus Advanced Computing Building exemplify the spirit of technological innovation at the Institute.

These new buildings are not only attractive, however; they also play a major role in Tech's commitment to the environment and sustainability. Both the Klaus Building and the College of Management are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certified, a prestigious designation that highlights the buildings' environmentally-friendly design, construction materials and operations.

The biggest issue with all the new construction, however, is that students are almost never sufficiently notified about plans and goals of new construction projects. Most recently, the plaza in front of the College of Management was unexpectedly fenced off and deconstructed last week. It wasn't until Friday that Management majors received a notice explaining the plaza was being beautified as a result of a large donation from a corporate sponsor; the rest of the campus remained in the dark.

When students don't know what's going on, they inevitably begin complaining. Administrators should better inform the campus about new projects if they want to retain positivity.

At the same time, Tech should not place all of its emphasis on new construction when several major campus buildings are beyond dilapidated. The Instructional Center, Skiles, Boggs and Howey Physics, among others, are all in poor condition and could use extensive improvements, and the Swann building is a great example of a renovation success. If we want to truly beautify the campus, older buildings need to get a little love, too.