With the announcement in July that the new Business and Engineering Complex would not be completed by its original deadline, faculty and students were told classes originally scheduled in the new building would be relocated to new spaces.
On Aug. 12, an email was sent out to students notifying them that classes had officially been relocated. The administration was able to find space for all classes without major issues.
Unfortunately, the minor issues may add up. Classes were relocated but not necessarily to fully functioning classrooms. Several classes have been moved to Library Room 121, which was formerly a room students could rent out.
A room that has been used frequently in the rescheduling is Jobst 248. Approximately every 15 minutes, a thermostat makes a loud buzzing noise for about 10 seconds.
These poor classroom conditions form a hindrance to the learning environment.
Additionally, classes are scheduled to be moved into the new building after fall break. This may cause even more distractions to learning as students and professors need time to adjust to the new classrooms and technology.
With a construction project as large as the complex and with weather-related delays, it is undersandable for time tables to change. However, to avoid the inconvenience of students learning in non-cohesive environments, preparing for the worst-case scenario could have prevented multiple class relocations.
The university should have scheduled classes the same way they have for the last two years, without the new building. Then, if the building was ready, it would have been a bonus for everyone involved.
Instead, students and professors are put in uncomfortable situations for teaching and learning. We will see what happens when the building is ready in October, if it is.
