As construction crews push forward with the preliminary Buddig Hall renovations, some of the building’s residents and commuters say they are discontent with what they feel are serious inconveniences.
The residence hall’s construction is currently going on between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. While the construction crew drills away, the building is full of people trying to sleep, study or attend class.
According to Craig Beebe, director of Residential Life, there have been two email complaints about this issue. Beebe said he is also aware of Facebook postings “commenting on various student complaints related to renovation work and other topics.”
Jade Tang, criminal justice senior, is living in Buddig for her fourth consecutive year and prefers to do her studying and homework in her second-floor room. According to Tang, the noise from construction has gotten so bad that she finds it challenging to perform her usual tasks.
“It’s such an inconvenience, and it’s utterly ridiculous that the school is being that inconsiderate considering the fact that we pay so much money to live here,” Tang said.
Tang is not the only one unhappy with the disruptions caused by the construction crew. Robert Bell, Writing Across the Curriculum director and instructor, was assigned Buddig 1211 this semester as a classroom for his writing and music class.
According to Bell, his class, offered between the 9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. time slot, has to deal with the same disruptions affecting Tang.
“Usually between 9:30 and 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, jackhammers are going, wrenches are being twisted and screwdrivers are pounding away, and most of the time we can’t even hear ourselves,” Bell said.
According to Bell, the construction has affected the class so severely that he has opted to relocate to the Writing Across the Curriculum lab.
“I’m leaving. That’s my coping skill: flight. I can’t fight, so it’s flight. So I’m going to change classrooms,” he said.
On Friday, March 2, Beebe sent an email to Buddig residents informing them of construction plans for the following day, a Saturday. Fed up with the disturbances, Tang replied to his email with a nuisance complaint.
Beebe responded to Tang’s email by saying, “Our job in Residential Life is to advocate for students like yourself (among other things), and we continue to actively negotiate for conditions that are reasonable and manageable for students. For example, we ensured that construction crews would begin work each morning at 9 a.m. instead of the proposed 7 a.m.”
“I can’t understand anybody really thinking it’s OK,” Tang said in response to Beebe’s reply. Tang said that she felt Residential Life was taking advantage of Buddig residents since most of them are freshmen and are less likely to speak up.
“All current campus renovations bring, unfortunately, some degree of inconvenience. I encourage all members of the community to commit to short-term solutions and to remember that this work is critical to the future of Loyola University New Orleans,” Beebe said in an email.
Both Bell and Tang mentioned that students should receive compensation for the noise disturbances, such as a discount on their living fees.
“The payoff for students will come very soon, when the facility will re-open and be more reflective of the quality and aesthetic of housing that Loyola students deserve,” said Beebe in response to these claims.
Genneh Acevedo can be reached at [email protected].
Criminal justice senior Jade Tang, a four-year Buddig Hall resident, suggests the university give discounts to students living in Buddig who are being affected by the building renovations. (Genneh Acevedo/Contributing Photographer )
