Taylor Hall Renovations Near Completion, Stirs Contreversy

For the past ten months UW-O students and staff have been inconvenienced by renovations stretching from High St. to Algoma Blvd. Now that the new building is nearing completion a variety of new questions have arose: has it been worth it? Who will live there and should there be a priority given to any particular student group?

Taylor Hall is located across the street from the Kolf Sports Center on the UW-O campus. The newly refurbished residence hall will house 500 students year round. The improvements to the building include: air conditioning, a new kitchen, elevators and expanded recreation areas.

With all the new features this hall offers it is no wonder that many student, upper-classman and lower-classman alike, are vying for rooms in the hall when it opens next semester.

Throughout the course of the semester, many students have experienced troubles in relation to the construction. The sidewalk in front of the building has been torn up and the area around it fenced in.

More than one student have found themselves flying to the ground after tripping over a crack or catching their foot in the mud. “The sidewalk on the High Street side of the project isn’t there and we have gym class,” said Junior UW-O student Michelle Landgren, “drivers aren’t very courteous to us when we were running.”

While many other students have experienced annoyances, residents of Donner Hall, adjacent to the Taylor site, have had to contend with construction noise every morning.

Now that the construction is over and students are starting to see the result of the labors of the numerous state contractors, they finally have a chance to assess what their troubles have been worth.

“Was it worth it? No…well, I think it will be for the freshmen,” said Landgren.

Other students feel more strongly than Landgren: “It’s going to look awesome, but my tuition is going toward it and a parking ramp and classes…but we’re cutting our budget on tomatoes. I think their [the administration’s] priorities are a little screwed up,” said April Zwicky, a sophomore at the university.

Another issue arises on the question of who will be given priority consideration when it comes to these coveted rooms.

“If they [the athletes] are good, yes they should be given priority consideration,” said freshman student Olivia Navarro.

While Navarro may think that athletes should, many students feel differently, “No, I mean, they can walk just as far as anyone else can,” said Senior David Redding.

Students may be split on their opinions about student groups being given priority; the department of residence life is taking a hard line by saying that no student group is granted priority consideration when it comes to housing.

The true test of the value of a year of suffering will come when residents move into the newly renovated and completed building on September 6, 2005. Only when the sidewalks are repaired and the grass restored life will start to get back to normal for many students who walk by Taylor Hall on their way to class.