About three weeks before students were expected to move in, University Housing and Dining informed residents that construction for a new residence hall may cause disruptions for students in nearby dormitories.
Construction is taking place on Whitis Avenue, the previous location of Whitis Court Dormitory, next to Duren Hall and across from Kinsolving Hall. Justin Jaskowiak, senior director of residential experience and housing operations, said construction is scheduled Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. and possibly over the weekends. Construction material pickup may also happen overnight. The sidewalk outside Duren is also closed due to construction, and pedestrian traffic is being directed toward Kinsolving.
A UHD spokesperson said it does not expect noise to be a large issue but will offer earplugs at the front desks for dorms near the site. Students living in rooms adjacent to the construction site in Duren Hall will be offered $500 in credit toward their housing costs.
Biochemistry sophomore Alexandra Papuga lives on the second floor of Duren, and her window faces directly toward the construction site. She said the construction currently consists of ripping concrete, metal and rebar out of the ground, which is very loud and disruptive.
“I can always tell when it starts because I always wake up, and then I have to force myself to go back to sleep,” Papuga said. “I can’t do work or study in my room because it’s just constantly there.”
UHD expects construction to last until the projected opening of the complex in fall 2027. Still, the department plans to communicate and update residents if there are unusual construction hours, Jaskowiak said.
“If circumstances change at all, we want to make sure that information would be given to our students as quickly as possible,” Jaskowiak said. “I anticipate that we’ll continue engaging in discussion with our students as the year unfolds.”
Civil engineering freshman Ryan Urukalo said the noise from the construction has not been a major disruption, but he was only informed of the construction after he selected housing. “I was a little disappointed because (it) wasn’t communicated when I signed up to be in the dorm — it was just after I was fully committed,” Urukalo said. “They were like, ‘By the way, you are adjacent to the construction. You’re gonna have noise, so you can either have noise or you can have no natural light.’”
Papuga said the construction is all she hears until around 6 p.m., and she has a constant view of rubble from her unit, which has a starting price of $16,957 for the year, according to the
UHD website.
“I specifically picked this room for its view of the Tower,” Papuga said, “and I have that view, but I also have a view of rebar and concrete.”
