The leaves are changing, the air is getting cooler and the noise of bulldozers is ringing through the air? It’s fall at Fairfield University and many students returned to campus this year to find much of the campus under construction. Up in the Quad and down by the Village, mounds of dirt and piles of pipes are sectioned off by fences, changing our footpaths and taking away our parking spaces.
As a senior living in the Village, I unfortunately do not get to reap the benefits of what, judging by the picture, is sure to be a beautiful new apartment building with a wide open space for its students to throw Frisbees. I do however, get to enjoy the sights, sounds and unfortunately smells that come from the building process.
Excited about living in the Apartments and the prospect of senior year, I moved in and tried to stay positive, despite all the inconveniences. However, walking into my room I found an orange piece of paper with complimentary earplugs attached, apologizing in advance for the noise. Not a good first sign, I thought, but it was nice of the school to think of us.
But according to my roommate, a couple days later someone knocked on our door and asked for the earplugs back because they were supposed to go to students in Kostka. Apparently students in Kostka, which is ten feet closer to the construction than the Apartments, are the only ones who can hear the diggers at 7 a.m. Luckily, there haven’t been any major noise occurrences as of yet, but I’m not looking forward to the day that I don’t have class until the afternoon and the sound of jackhammers wakes me up at the crack of dawn.
In addition, the construction site in the Village just happens to be located on what used to be the main parking lot for the students who live there. The lack of parking has thrown the students into a complicated mess. Just a couple days before class started, senior Village residents entered a lottery to decide who was going to be able to park somewhat close to the Village in the old JesRes parking lot, and who was going to have to park across campus at Jogues. Seniors who have an internship, a job, or even who want to go grocery shopping are not happy about the trek.
“I think it’s really unfair that I had to pay the same amount as students who get to park right outside their dorms,” said Brittany Martin ’11, referencing her Jogues sticker that still cost her $80. Martin said that she rarely uses her car and is forced to get a ride with friends when she wants to go to Stop & Shop.
What about that extra lot in the back of the Quick Center parking lot that’s not being used? Many originally thought that’s where we were going to be parking, but instead we have to either walk half way across campus or through a building to get home. Using that parking lot wouldn’t be taking away spots from Quick Center patrons because it didn’t exist prior to this past spring. So instead it sits empty, and the students are the ones who are confined in the Village, with no car and no campus shuttle to let us out.
But if you think about it, we’re not at college to drive around and we’re not at college to sleep-in every day. We’re at college to go to class and to get an education. That would be great…if we had a way to get to class. The path between the library and Bannow, which used to be how students living in the Village got to class on the upper part of campus, is now blocked off. I can deal with a little noise. I can even deal with not parking as close as I might want to. But cutting us off from classes?
Now, instead of walking on a scenic path through the trees and past the Chapel, there is no direct route to class. We must go past the construction equipment swinging overhead, around and up the parking lot of the BCC, through the building, up the stairs and up to classes. I leave almost a half hour early to get to class if I need to go to Donnarumma.
Additionally, coming back to the Village at night when it is dark is an accident waiting to happen. There are no lights and the sidewalk is pitch black with overgrown roots causing obstacles to trip over.
We’re not asking for much, Fairfield. We simply want a safe way to get to class. But if we absolutely must get woken up early and smell the odors from the construction sites, at least bring back the campus shuttle so we can get to class on time.
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