Students trying to get to class pushed their way through the sea of people in the D.P. Culp University Center Monday morning, looking for ways to get around the blocked off areas under reconstruction.
The multimillion dollar renovations being done on the D.P. Culp University Center, which began last October, are due to be completed in the fall of 2008.
The project is broken into six phases according to Dr. Tony Warner, assistant vice president of the university center/ID system. Three of the six phases have been finished and the fourth has been started on this week, which may cause some inconveniences.
“The fourth phase will begin work in public areas,” Warner said. “There will be all new carpet and ceiling tiles throughout the building and a new entrance between the bookstore and the Buc-Mart. That entrance will be closed for the next several weeks.”
In addition, the building’s makeover will include all new seating in the auditorium, steps between the upper and lower patios of The Cave, a two-sided fireplace in The Cave, and much more.
“The university center has not had any reconstruction done since it was built 31 years ago. It had to be broken into phases because there was no other way to do it. We couldn’t close it down; there is nowhere else on campus that has cafeterias and large ballrooms. There wouldn’t be anywhere else for students to go,” Warner said.
After the first day of school, students definitely found it difficult to take their normal route through the center due to major areas being inaccessible. Warner said there will be different areas blocked off throughout the next three months. “We are asking students to be cooperative and to be safe. Don’t go through roped off areas. Every office and meeting area will always have access to it, even if you may have difficulty getting to it.”
Tess Svoboda, a graduate student in clinical nutrition, was shocked by all the chaos. “I heard that the construction was supposed to be finished by the time the fall semester started,” she said.
Other students expressed irritation with the inconveniences.
“It’s just a pain when you can’t get to the elevator and you can’t get to the ramp and you have to go all the way around the building to do anything,” said Chris Morris, a freshman in pre-medicine. “I tried to cut through there because it was so hot outside and I thought it would be faster, but it just ended up taking much longer.”
Changes that have already been made to the center include a complete renovation of The Cave, which is now reopened after being closed for the construction this summer.

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