Construction on Biola’s Campus

Laura Cook

Emily Cariaga

Rachel Pierson

Construction is now a part of every student and faculty member’s life at Biola University. Many were shocked when they returned from winter break to see the main road through campus fenced off with a detour in place. There are many changes happening all over campus affecting not only the students that live in the dorms, but also those who commute. Naomi Sornoso, a Biola commuter, shared that she has to deal with the detour on a daily basis, “I drove to school all last semester, but after being twenty minutes late to class, even though I left a half an hour early, I made the decision to start walking to school.”

            While some commuters see the construction as a hindrance, others see it as beneficial for the school’s development. Jillian Mepherson commented on the parking structure being crucial to solving the problem of limited parking spaces, but mentioned that the school should have started the project in the summer when it wouldn’t affect the spring semester students. The university started major projects during interterm continuing into the beginning of a new semester when students need convenience so their focus is on school instead of figuring out which detour to take to get to class on time.

            Biola has three construction projects taking place right now, making it difficult to get around campus. Naomi shared that facilities should not have decided to do all three projects at the same time, but instead spread the construction projects out over the next few years. But Meagan Bellefeuilde said, “I would rather get it out of the way so that next semester our campus is completed and functional.”
            Even though some students think it is better to have the school under construction for a short amount of time rather then spread out over the course of a few years, the argument that Biola should make major changes on campus at a more convenient time is valid.