Construction in Byrd and Parcells to end in summer

Construction 3
Photo by JUAN CARLOS RAMIREZ | The Ranger

Retention of information is lower due to constant interruptions of construction in the Byrd Business Building and Parcells Hall, and people want to know when it is expected to end.

According Physical Plant Director Bruce Cotgreave, Byrd and Parcells are expected to be echoing with construction noises until late this summer.

“Most of the loudest noise is over within Byrd,” Cotgreave said. “There will continue to be a little under Parcells Hall, but it won’t last long. We have had meetings and are working with the department heads to try to work around class schedules.”

Although it is obnoxious to listen to, it is important that the construction be completed because the new area in Byrd will house the business office, currently in the Student Services Center. The college relations and purchasing offices also will move. They will relocate to a newly constructed area on the first floor of Parcells Hall. Those moves will allow the financial aid office to expand into the area where the business office is located.

Construction noise permeates the air in Byrd and Parcells. It drowns out the voices of professors and interrupts discussion groups.

Construction
Photo by JUAN CARLOS RAMIREZ | The Ranger

Both students and faculty members find the sound of drilling and hammering a distraction. Jason Carreon, a computer information systems major, said that sometimes it’s harder to learn because students can’t hear the professors speak clearly over the noise. That thought was echoed by other students dealing with the same problem.
In the Byrd building, an epicenter of activity Monday through Thursday for business, computer science, governmental studies and engineering, the racket robs students and teachers of valuable learning and teaching opportunities.In Parcells Hall, where students study audio and video production, broadcasting, news reporting, photography and graphic design, the construction sounds interfere with recording, teaching, thinking and interacting within the classroom. Don Abel, an assistant professor of radio-TV and speech, makes light of the situation by miming conversation while tools buzz and grinding noises set people’s teeth on edge.

Most times when drilling or loud thuds drown out the speaker, everyone stops and waits for the sounds to quit so they can continue speaking. Some teachers get so frustrated trying to compete that they release classes early. Others press on, becoming more agitated with each interruption. The consensus is that construction is not conducive to learning.

Construction 2
Photo by JUAN CARLOS RAMIREZ | The Ranger

The noises degrade the quality and quantity of information being transferred between the teacher and the learners.

“It is a necessary evil,” said Regina Vieth, a part-time office administration instructor who teaches in Byrd. “We understand that it must be done, but it is particularly disturbing when students are testing.”

Students and faculty will have to make do for a few more months.

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