THE
BLUE &GRAY
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON STUDENT NEWSPAPER
November 16, 2017
VOLUME 91 | ISSUE 11
PRESS
SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE
1922
Jepson construction disrupts student life
Finnley Goff / The Blue & Gray Press
The newly started constuction taking place at Jepson has various caused issues for both students and faculty.
HANNAH GALEONE Senior Writer
The construction work that has started of the university’s Jepson Science Center has recently caused a multitude of problems for students and faculty. Sections of College Avenue and the surrounding areas of Jepson are cloaked in industrial fabric and lined with construction cones. The renovations to the building and nearby areas are expected to continue for an approximated 18 to 24 months. The construction was announced to the UMW community in early October in an email sent out by Facility Services. The email contained a short description of the renovations and a map that showed the changes ahead for the vehicular and pedestrian traffic paths. The initial phases of the renovation project involve realigning the access road to the back of the Simpson Library, as well as a new loading dock access road just inside the entrance to the Anderson Center. The work being done to the Jepson area begins at 7 a.m. everyday and continues until 5 p.m., five days a
week. Sometimes the work needs to be extended into Saturdays. Since the construction’s hours coincide with the academic day, the raucous from the work has become a problem for students in their daily routines. The noise from the construction affects students both in their classrooms and in their dorms. “The construction is right outside the lab that I am in during chemistry,” said sophomore biology major, Cayley McGuire. “It sounds like they’re using a jackhammer outside of the window... It’s incredibly distracting, the [lab
rooms] that are next to the construction hear everything.” Since the Jepson loading dock is now inaccessible, there has been an inability to get deliveries, which poses an issue to the research being done within the building. “I was told my research was all but dead since I wouldn’t have access to a necessary component required to run the instrument involved in my research,” said senior chemistry major, Andrew Franklin. “We
“It sounds like they’re using a jackhammer outside of the window... It’s incredibly distracting, the [lab rooms] that are next to the construction hear everything.” -Cayley McGuire
Finnley Goff / The Blue & Gray Press
•CONSTRUCTION | 2
As a result of the construction, students have had both their work and sleep schedules disrupted.
The Switch: How administration decides to turn on the heat ALICEN HACKNEY Staff Writer
This fall the East Coast has seen some extreme temperatures, which means the central heating and air conditioning for UMW dorms and other on-campus buildings has left many students in a period of discomfort. Temperatures have been high for October and part of the beginning of November, but this is not entirely different from last year’s weather. Heating was only turned on one week later than it had been last year. With the temperature still being in the high
IN THIS
ISSUE
60s and low 70s when the switch from air conditioning to heating took place, students had mixed reviews about their comfortability with the temperature in the buildings. Sophomore Cassie Haynes reported little discomfort as she felt the switch over in the classrooms in Monroe and Combs was timely for the cold front that hit the area. “It had been uncomfortable in basement classrooms of Combs, it was way too hot for a while there and since it’s the basement opening the smaller windows doesn’t help much,” said senior Lucinda York-Brown. “The heating in
FURRY FRIENDS
Dupont seems to be off as well, one of the staircases is much colder in comparison to the other.” Administration follows a specific process when it comes time to make the change between A/C and heat. “Deciding when to switch over from A/C to heat involves conversations between our departments, looking at last year’s timeline, and most importantly, checking the weather forecast,” said Associate Director for Residence Life and Housing, Hunter Rauscher. “We take a look at the 10 day outlook and take into account the highs and the nighttime lows. When
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we see weather dropping into colder temperatures we need to work toward turning on the heat. Since our students are out in class during the day but most students are home in the evening, our evening and night temperatures become very important.” In addition to a warning about when the switch over is going to happen, the Residence Life team does give students tips for how to deal with the changes in temperature and maximize their comfort. Confusion can also arrive from the process by which the heating is turned on and why it is •HEATING | 11
HOOPS SEASON
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