[Ambi: Outside, spring sounds]
We’re nearing the end of April; it’s officially spring at Northwestern. Birds are chirping, trees are getting green again, flowers are blooming. Campus is becoming beautiful again. It just makes you want to take a walk on the lakefill. But…there’s something in the way…
[Ambi: loud construction sounds]
All that construction. As I look around campus, so much of it seems to be fenced off. Deering Library is closed, Ryan Field is being rebuilt, and a new Social Science and Global Affairs Hub is being built along Sheridan Road. And, Cohen lawn in front of Norris is torn up, obstructing access to the lake. How do Northwestern students feel about all the construction? I went on a journey to find out their opinions.
GEORGIA MANN: I am not pleased with how much space it’s taking up and how much of the lake it’s blocking.
That’s School of Communication junior Georgia Mann.
MANN: I’m really happy we have access to the Lakefill again, but it’s very limited. It takes a much longer time to be able to get there because there’s only one entrance point from the south side of campus. And it just – it obstructs the view of the lake, which is one of the prettiest parts of this campus.
Communication sciences and disorders senior Barb Burns had similar thoughts about lakefill access, especially with it being her last year on campus.
BARB BURNS: It’s a little bit sad. Just because I mean, obviously the campus is so gorgeous, like, no matter what, um, but I do feel like I’m really sad that I don’t get to enjoy during this year and like, my lakefill walks have to be like detoured. And I don’t know, it just stinks because like, I’ve never going to be here as a student again and be able to witness the beauty that I always you know, that I have, like for the past four years.
Psychology and theatre sophomore Maddi Anderson said it made her sad to see so much of Northwestern’s green space getting torn up for construction.
MADDI ANDERSON: One of the reasons I came here was because it was like, ugh, it’s so beautiful, it’s so pretty, I love nature, I want to be outside all the time, like when it’s warm. and now it’s getting warm and there’s still constructing and I don’t I’m not a big a fan of it. I don’t like it.
Some students had more mixed feelings about all of the projects on campus, like junior industrial engineering student Ryan Beam.
RYAN BEAM: I mean, I think it I think in the obviously, like any construction, it’ll be great when it’s done, but for now, it kind of sucks that it’s, you know, on the Lakeville and it makes it more complicated to get places because like paths are blocked off and stuff like that. But I think when it’s done, it’ll be nice because um, you know all the renderings are good. I don’t know about like the Ryan fields specifically, is kind of off campus, I haven’t really seen the progress on that, but, like the the new Norris center, um yeah, it looks it looks like it’s gonna be really nice, but for now it’s it’s not great.
Theatre junior Oliver Tam had similar thoughts and said he finds it interesting to watch something get built from the ground up.
OLIVER TAM: I mean, it doesn’t look great, but I know in the end, like it’s gonna be it’s gonna be bettering our community, and I do like seeing people working on construction. It feels productive, it feels like it feels cool to see something – like for example – this isn’t on campus necessarily – but like Evanston Labs. I saw that from, like when it got knocked down to, like, now it’s this, like, towering building. Um, and it’s it’s kind of cool to think that, um you know, this really beautiful thing was was made, and I saw it being made by the people. I saw the people who were making it.
Clearly, a lot of mixed emotions. All we can hope is that the construction stays on schedule.
For WNUR News, I’m Ella Barnes.
