Monmouth’s picturesque campus is one of its bestselling points and most desirable characteristics for perspective and current students alike. But now with the massive construction happening between Howard Hall and Edison Hall, it seems like Monmouth gets uglier the further you walk down towards Pollak Theater. I completely understand that half of what I see on Monmouth’s beautiful campus had to be built at some point, but I wish this current construction weren’t happening while I am here. To be blunt—the construction is an eyesore that a simple “Pardon our appearance while we renovate” sign doesn’t excuse.
It isn’t just the sight of the construction that is leaving a bad taste in my mouth; it’s the dangers of the construction, the noise, and the impedance on my travels from class to class. Construction is a dangerous job for the workers themselves, but it is also dangerous for those of us traveling around it. The various construction vehicles roaming around the south side of campus count on you, the traveling student, to watch where you’re walking. They don’t have a huge regard for people walking around them.
The noise is also starting to ware on me. I have had many classes in Howard Hall since the start of the construction and the noise of the construction itself, while I understand it is wholly unavoidable, is very loud. Furthermore, the noise of just the workers in general can be distracting. For example, I was in class one day and I heard a worker turn on a radio and, while the song that came on was good, was distracting me from paying any attention in my class.
Lastly, the impedance of my travels from class to class is my biggest complaint. If I had a genie in a bottle and I had three wishes I would use one to wish for the link between Howard Hall and Edison Hall to be back. It was so convenient for rainy days and for skipping a flight of stairs (you can’t lie, that was a great perk!). Unfortunately, we have to accept that the link between Howard Hall and Edison Hall is gone until construction is complete. Link aside, the pathways of travel between Howard Hall and the rest of the campus has been opened and closed multiple times—from having a makeshift path, to walking through the patio of Pozycki, to just recently having to walk around or through Bey Hall, this construction has definitely made travels around campus more difficult.
Now, negative thoughts aside, I am sure that once the construction is done, we will all be in love with the new building, just as many of us are with Pozycki Hall. The construction for Pozycki Hall seemed to be less intrusive on the campus, but that was mainly because of its location. Unfortunately, the location of this new building is not ideal for construction. Thankfully, emails from Vice President for Administrative Services, Patti Swannack, are sent out each time there is a new detour for getting to Howard Hall or the outside classrooms of Edison Hall.
The campus is continually changing and modifying itself with the times. While it may be a pain to go through (growing pains, right?), the end result will be worth the struggle. Winston Churchill once said, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” Under those guidelines, it seems as though Monmouth is just about perfect!
