First thing Monday morning, students were faced with the reality of a campus under construction as they headed back to class.
Just after 8:30 a.m. students were still trying to pick a route to class, many with maps ed from the University’s website in hand.
Inside, Stauffer Library shook with the construction, and the noise took away the calm of the library setting.
Bailey Chabot, ArtSci ’09, said she has to find alternatives to even the simplest routes.
“It’s certainly an inconvenience—even the walk from Stauffer to the JDUC can be confusing. It is something to get used to quickly but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a pain,” she said.
The area between University Avenue and Clergy Street was the most crowded after 8:30 a.m. classes got out. There was also congestion on the single-lane pathways on either side of University Avenue and outside the entrance of Stauffer Library.
Some students accepted that construction was the new reality.
“I’ll be happy to see it done, but it doesn’t really affect me,” said Pam Dyall, ArtSci ’09. “I think it would have been better to do it section by section instead of all at once, but it will be better once the roads [University Avenue and Union Street] are done.”
Many students commented that the construction should have been done in separate parts, but AMS President Kinglsey Chak disagreed.
“Queen’s is playing catch-up in of facilities; this is why all of this construction has to happen at the same time,” he said. “It is definitely an inconvenience but it’s important to realize it’s for a good cause. Every great feat will have its consequences.”
Nicholas Hadjiv, Sci ’10, said the first-year students have it the worst.
“Newcomers are going to have trouble finding things … I my first year I was confused and this would have just made it worse,” he said.
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].