Summer construction on several major Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus (LSC) buildings has continued into the start of the school year.
Summer construction on several major Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus (LSC) buildings has continued into the start of the school year.
The Information Commons (IC), Mundelein Center and Cudahy Library have been undergoing major construction on Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus (LSC).
Loyola officials say the construction over the past months is necessary to conduct regular maintenance.
Loyola’s Senior Vice President for Facilities Kana Henning wrote in an email to The Phoenix that this year called for replacement of the clay tile roofs of the IC and Cudahy Library. The school is also continuing to repair the façade of the Mundelein building.
This year’s construction on Mundelein is a follow up from renovations made last year, as The Phoenix previously reported.
Some students, like sophomore nursing major Elena Melvin, thinks the work being done comes at a cost to the students.
“The first day of classes, the library was such an eye sore and I was so excited to be here on campus with everyone else on the first day,” Melvin said, “It’s really ugly, especially on the IC.”
Major construction projects happen every few years and are decided upon during inspections, according to Henning.
“Most of our maintenance projects are completed during the summer months, and some extend into the academic year due to the size and scope of the work,” Henning wrote.
There have been no delays or setbacks thus far keeping this entire project on schedule.
Construction began on the buildings this past June and is still being done, according to Paul Voelker, the director of Loyola’s IC and coordinator of library facilities.
“It began with the conclusion of the Spring 2022 semester, so that a significant portion of the work could be completed over the summer,” Voelker wrote in an email to The Phoenix.
Junior Anahi Paz says the construction is affecting her academic work. She said noise from the construction has made it difficult to hear her professor in class.
“It’s hard to pay attention, it leads you to daydream,” Paz, 20, said.
Despite students like Paz having difficulties hearing during class, Henning and Voelker said neither of them have received any complaints from students or faculty.
“The roofing and façade projects currently underway will each be completed at different times, but no later than Thanksgiving,” Henning wrote.
Voelker is confident, weather permitting, the entire project should be complete by mid-October.
Featured image by Austin Hojdar | The Phoenix
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