Construction causes problems
Asad Kiyani

The new residence extension on campus has run into significant controversy, with students concerned that their studying will be disrupted while administrators are worried that they will not have space for incoming students.

On October 27, the University administrative bodies decided to add an 86 bed extension on to Willison Hall. Construction was delayed for six weeks and only started last week. It has already raised the ire of students.

"It's completely disrupted life," said Willison Hall B1 resident Jeff Collet. "The noise wakes you up, the beds are shaking and especially the diesel fumes coming in through the window. They seep through even when the window is closed.

"It shows a big lack of respect from the University."

The construction, concentrated around the rear of B-wing, begins at 7:30 a.m. and disturbs most Willison residents in some way. Yet it is B1, the floor closest to the construction, that gets the worst of it.

Not only do they have to deal with the work going on outside the building, the construction that is going on in the basement adds further disruption.

"We get the best of both worlds," said Michael Rovansek. "I wake up in the morning shaking - it's like an earthquake."

Shortage of Beds Prompts Solution

The saga began last summer when a large number of students accepted offers of admission to Laurier.

"Last summer, there was a crisis," said Assistant Vice-President: Student Services/Dean of Students David McMurray. "The number of first choice applications were down significantly, and so an alarm was raised. So, more offers were given to second- and third-choice students," more of whom accepted than had been anticipated.

"We chose to honour the acceptances that we handed out rather than withdrawing them," McMurray said.

"All three of these things-the students in the Richmond Square Apartments, 50 extra students in University Place, and general residence overcrowding [contributed to our decision]," he said. "The motivation was to deal with the overcrowding issue."

The drama continued in October when the project was approved by both the Senate and Board of Governors. At the Board of Governors meeting, a question was raised as to the disturbance that could be caused to residents.

McMurray said, "We will have to take every measure to reduce that … The disruptive factor is something we are going to have to keep on the top of our list of concerns."

It would seem not enough measures are being taken.

Students' Union President Gareth Cunningham said that while he had a "good dialogue" with University President Robert Rosehart, the issue had not yet been presented to the Board of Directors.

He therefore could not make an official comment on behalf of the Union, especially since "not all elected [student] representatives were at the [meeting with Rosehart]".

The noise concerns of residents has raised the interests of student senators Jeffrey Kroeker and Jeff Burrow.

At the October Board of Governors meeting it was said that "noise would not be a concern," said Kroeker. "As a result, I am taking the issue back to the Senate and Board of Governors."

Burrow has also said that he intends to "take the issue back to the Senate" at the next meeting on March 10, specifically because of the noise issue.

In an attempt to alleviate the concerns of students, Director of Housing Services Mike Belanger visited Willison's 24-Hour Lounge last Thursday.

In describing the construction pro-cess, Belanger re-peatedly said that while "we knew that it was going to cause disruption … we are flying by the seat of our pants."

When asked if the University plans to offer monetary compensation to the residents, he replied that it is "not in the cards - it's just not possible."

He did admit the University did return some money and provide free alternate accommodation to three students living in a basement apartment which was about to have its walls knocked down.

"I have no sympathy for those who say 'give me the money' and it's not a problem anymore," continued Belanger. "I have more sympathy for those who are concerned about how this is going to affect their studying."

The trio of Belanger, McMurray and Rosehart is, however, trying to find a compromise with the students.

Robert Vanderspek, the Manager of Facilities Planning, Design and Construction, described what is being done at the site.

"We've instructed the construction crews that commencing April 5, there will be no work before 9 a.m. In the meantime, they won't use any equipment prior to 8:30 a.m."

"If we were to completely stop during exams, it would drastically impact the completion of the project," said Vanderspek, "it's in a very tight window already."

And while monetary compensation is out of the question for various legal reasons, Belanger was willing to offer other forms of compensation. He tossed out ideas such as a new TV or pool table for the residence, which sparked a flurry of unfavourable responses.

Rosehart admitted that while he was disappointed the students were being inconvenienced, he was quick to remind that, "There is no time of year when we will not be disrupting someone."

"You can't build stuff with quiet hammers," said Rosehart.