Too much noise!

By Josiah Stewart
Critic Staff

Noise from the construction has some impact on classes at Lyndon State College.

The sounds of blasting sirens and heavy machinery have become a part of every day life for students, faculty and staff here at Lyndon State College.
"I wish that they had started the whole process early enough so that a delay in permitting wouldn't have meant that they were starting this kind of construction just when classes begin, because it is very disruptive,” Richard Moye, professor of Literature and Cultural Studies, said.
Construction would have been started earlier if not for delays in the acquiring of permits, Wayne T. Hamilton, Dean of Administration, said. Construction is scheduled to continue up until August of 2009.
The construction zone is located directly in front of the Vail Hall building where quite a few classes are held during the day. The noise from this construction occurs regularly from early in the morning up until late afternoon is when the bulk of classes in Vail are held.
“I teach a couple of courses in Vail 451, and the noise has seriously disturbed concentration for me and the students,” Moye said. “I'm pretty sure that at least one class has been a complete waste.”
Concentration when the noisiest parts of the construction are going on is a serious issue for students and professors alike. With the majority of the blasting complete, students can expect less noise, however, there is still drilling to be done and a little more blasting can be expected in the future.
"I hope it doesn't really affect my ability, but it does affect my effectiveness,” Moye said. “The construction makes teaching and learning more difficult, but there is really no alternative.
“We'll just have to do the best we can,” Moye said. “I also have to say I'm less concerned about the impact on teaching than I am about the impact for student concentration and focus both in and out of the classroom.”
With the noisiest parts of the construction soon to be over with, students can expect an easier time trying to concentrate, but there will undoubtedly be other forms of noisy construction going on before the project is completed.
“With a project like this, some disruption is unavoidable, but everyone involved is trying to minimize the impact on the campus.” Hamilton said. “I hope that the end result of better facilities for our faculty and students will make the interruptions seem worthwhile.”