When students returned for fall semester, they found that the high traffic hallway between the computer science building and the old library was closed off. The hallway was converted to temporary offices, making it harder to get around campus without going outside but not impossible.
UVU’s campus is unique because it allows students to get around campus without going outside. During the cold winter months, students definitely take advantage of being able to stay inside. Even with the current changes, it is still possible, but students will have to make a major detour.
Recently with the weather turning colder and wetter, students have seen the effect the closed off hallway has. “Today I was sopping wet. I wasn’t happy,” said Jordy Kirkman, a freshman from Logan. “I won’t be walking across campus as much. I’m going to avoid it like the plague.”
The temporary offices in the converted hallway have replaced offices that were in the LRC building, which is being remodeled into the new career success building. “During the remodel of the LRC there won’t be any heating in that building,” said Frank Young, the senior director of space development for UVU. “We wanted to have space for those people to office where they could be comfortable, so we built that for temporary use and will tear it down in April and the hallway will be opened up again.”
Even though it is a temporary situation, students are still affected. Students wanting to stay inside during the cold weather still can but will have to take a longer route. “It’s really frustrating. I only have 15 minutes between classes, but I’ll make the detour because I don’t want to go outside in the cold,” said Weslie Graham, a freshman from Provo.
To remain inside, students can go to the 6th floor of the CS building and over to the GT building. From there they can go down through the GT and down into the business building, a detour that will take students longer than normal. “I think it’s going to be a pain,” said Michael Ward, a freshman from Michigan.
The study tables and chairs that lined the hallway will also be put back in place after the remodeling is complete, but where can students study until then? “There’s the 6th level bridge between the CS and GT buildings, where more tables were put in,” said Young. “They also recreated the calculus lab at the end of the automotive building on the west end, but a lot of it is still in storage and will be put back when the hallway is open again.”
As for the risk of using the outside walkways during the cold, snowy weather, Young says, “We hope that students will stay inside during bad weather, but we’ll make sure the outdoor walkways are all salted and shoveled and safe to use.”
