Growing Pains

That's the message UNC officials have been trying to sell students as the year begins against the backdrop of planned construction projects and missed deadlines.

As UNC undertakes newly intensified renovation projects in several areas of campus, the campus community is struggling to reconcile its desire for long-term growth and improvement with the short-term discomforts that construction brings.

UNC students will face even more construction in coming years as the campus's share of the $3.1 billion higher education bond pays for new development and capital improvements.

The University also plans to build extensively as part of its Master Plan, a blueprint for campus growth in the next 50 years, which is facing scrutiny from Chapel Hill officials.

But for now, four major projects -- construction of new South Campus residence halls, renovation of the Student Union, renovation of the Undergraduate Library and improvement to the hot water heating system on North Campus -- are causing immediate difficulty for students.

South Campus Residence Halls

For many freshmen arriving on campus for the first time, the first sight that greeted them was that of exposed brick and beams -- in the front yards of their new homes.

Construction began on four new South Campus residence halls in November 2000 and is scheduled to be finished July 10.

But despite the fact that the project is proceeding as planned, the construction is still causing headaches for many South Campus residents. Christopher Payne, director of housing and residential education, says the inconvenience for students is unfortunate but unavoidable.

"We are really committed to providing a bed for every undergraduate head, but that won't happen without the ability to build new housing and renovate existing housing," he said. "This is a very exciting time at Carolina, and it's important to realize that there will be inconveniences that go along with that, but it's also important to mitigate them."

Payne said the continuing construction might create more hassles for South Campus residents, including utility interruptions, noise and dust. The basketball court at Hinton James Residence Hall also is closed, although members of the housing department expect it to reopen it soon.

Cheryl Stout , assistant director of parking services, said the construction also has claimed some student parking spaces.

Payne said members of the housing department will attempt to address student concerns. "At some point, it's the legacy of the students that are here now that will exist after the new residence halls are built."

And Terrance Hairston, a freshman Hinton James resident, put a positive spin on the situation, saying the construction might get him to class on time. "I've heard it might help me -- I have 8 a.m. classes, and it might be a wake-up call."

Student Union Renovation

One of the construction projects on campus that affects the most students is also the one causing the most problems.

The first phase of renovation of the Student Union, which began in June 2000, is currently six months behind schedule.

Carolina Union Director Don Luse said he is frustrated by the situation but is trying to communicate with students and solicit their understanding. "We're trying to relate to students in a human way and say, hey, we know it's not the most convenient and we're sorry."

Phase I of construction, the erection of a new addition, was supposed to be completed in June but is now scheduled to end in December. As a result, Phases II and III also have been pushed back.

Phase II is the renovation of the lower level and and second floor of the original Union building, and Phase III is the renovation of the main floor and lobby.

Luse said the construction will soon reach a stage where it is less noticeable to students."Most of the noise and dust from Phase I should be over -- most of the work will be on the interior soon."

But as construction progresses into Phases II and III, the delayed schedule will create new problems.

Ben Jennette, a junior who works in the Union reservations office, said the move is making it harder to reserve rooms for campus groups who often use the Union as a meeting space.

Because the date of the addition's completion has been changed several times, Jennette said he isn't counting on it happening in time for the January move. "We're going to double-book -- book a space in the new building and in the old building," he said.

Student groups whose offices are housed on the second floor of the Union also will be forced to relocate to the addition when it is completed.

Shawn Brooks, artistic director for the Opeyo! group of the Black Student Movement, which is housed on the second floor of the Union, said he hopes the transition to the new space will be smooth. "Most people, and mostly alumni, know where this office is," he said. "I hope that it won't discourage people from coming to the new place."

Undergraduate Library

Somewhere behind the orange construction fence that is the only deviation from its normal external appearance, the Undergraduate Library is being gutted from the inside out.

The Undergrad was closed for renovations Dec. 19, 2000, and the actual work began in April. The project is proceeding roughly on schedule, and the library is due to reopen in fall 2002.

Since most of the renovations are occurring internally, most of the inconveniences currently associated with the project are in the form of noise.

But Leah McGinnis, assistant head of the Undergrad, said representatives of the library had made workers aware of events such as commencement and asked them to keep the noise down. "(The contractors) are fully aware of the campus calendar and have been very conscientious of not disrupting things."

McGinnis said the project should not cause much inconvenience to the area around the Undergrad. "We are hoping to keep any disruption to a bare minimum. There may be a couple of days of work that could affect foot traffic near Wilson Library."

In the meantime, the only burden for students is the reduction in their choice of study locations. All services previously housed in the Undergrad moved to Wilson or Davis libraries in January, and McGinnis said the transition was relatively smooth for most students.

"So far, so good - we're really eager to see how things go with the fall semester."

Hot Water Heating Upgrade

North Campus residents might have thought they were lucky to be escaping the construction pervading South Campus -- but an upgrade to the steamline heating the water for many residence halls is putting bulldozers and construction fencing in previously untouched areas of campus.

A project scheduled for completion in October 2002 is currently under way to replace the hot water heating system that serves residence halls along Raleigh Road.

John Masson, project manager for facilities planning, said residents might expect some temporary problems in the name of having more reliable hot water.

"There could be lots of disruptions with the construction," he said. "It's all buried pipe that requires excavation as well as the installation of the pipes -- it's a very extensive effort."

Construction manager Ed Short said the project is progressing on schedule.

Masson, who designed the project, said the schedule was implemented to minimize the construction's effect. "We will move out of each area as it's done, the fences will come down, we'll do landscape restoration and try and get it back to how it looked before."

But he said no matter how hard officials try, there is no way to hide the construction completely.

"There are always going to be some problems along the way."

Rachel Clarke contributed to this story.

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.