The amount of construction going on across campus is the most communicative sciences and disorders senior Erin Dixon has seen during her time at MSU.
“It’s important to be aware and know how it’s going to affect getting to class,” Dixon said.
Dixon was one of the students who stopped by at the rock on Farm Lane on Thursday afternoon for Construction Awareness Day — hosted by the Physical Plant.
The goal of the event was to make students and employees aware of what construction resources are available to them on campus, said Caitlin Tetrick, a Physical Plant communications aide. The Physical Plant maintains Facebook and Twitter pages and a YouTube channel in addition to a construction website, she said.
The plant also holds monthly Construction Junction meetings — open to the public — to provide updates about the different construction projects going on at MSU, Tetrick said.
“We’re trying to tap into that student network and let them know what’s available to them,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll get more fans and followers for these things that we do.”
The group also brought Captain Construction to the rock — an eight-foot tall mascot made entirely out of orange construction barrels by Physical Plant employees, Tetrick said. Anyone stopping by was encouraged to take a picture with Captain Construction and then tag themselves on the Physical Plant’s Facebook page, she said.
Physical Plant communications manager Karen Zelt said the team ordered 500 Frisbees and 1,000 shirts to give out at the event — all featuring the different MSU construction social media sites. She expected them to be gone by the end of the event, she said.
Zelt said the event also aimed to alert students to building noise and road closures, and more generally, any other construction-related activity they might see, smell or hear in the vicinity of their residence halls or classes.
“Many of the projects — especially the large, high-impact ones — impact not only students, but the entire campus,” she said.
Dixon said she has yet to become a Facebook fan of the Physical Plant, but it does seem easy to connect to their pages.
She said she has had many classes in Berkey Hall and the nearby construction going on for the new Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum sometimes made it noisy during class. Still, she’s excited to see the finished project.
“I think it’s really good for campus to have a new art museum,” Dixon said.
Nursing junior David Winokur said the biggest effect he’s had from campus construction has been the change in the Residence Halls Association’s Campus Center Cinemas’ location because of the addition going up at Wells Hall. He also is ready to see the building completed, he said.
“I really want to see how awesome (Wells Hall) turns out,” Winokur said.
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