August 12, 2009, is the anticipated completion date for the Downtown Milwaukee Campus Student Accommodation Services. However, recent activity (or rather non-activity) has caused some people, including myself to doubt whether or not the center will be completed in time for this fall. How do I know all this? Allow me to explain.A few weeks ago, I walked into Room M66 so I could do some homework before my class started. As I entered, I ran into one of the staff members there, and she told me that construction had not taken place yet in Room C219. I was shocked. I mean, the whole reason we were moved to the basement was because construction was supposed to take place this semester, so the center could be ready by the fall of 2009. Now you’re telling me that not even a single wall has been knocked down? Trying not to let my anger get the best of me, I asked the staff member if she knew anything more about the situation. She further explained that the room was presently being used to store furniture from other classrooms that were having construction done. Furniture? You’re telling me that we have been operating in the basement for almost a year because furniture is the only thing that is occupying Room C219? Wouldn’t it have been easier to move the furniture down to the basement instead of all the people and the technological equipment we use? Does anybody see the point I’m trying to make here?

Anyway, after I discovered this information, I could not let this story slip between the cracks. I had to find out what other people knew. So, I asked different staff members at the Student Accommodation Services (SAS) what exactly they knew about this situation and whether or not they thought Room C219 would be ready by the fall. A few thought that even though construction had not yet begun, Room C219 would open by the time the fall semester begins. Others remained positive about Room C219 opening this fall, but still had a doubt in their mind. Overall, I’d say the response was: Let’s wait until the start of fall 2009, and we’ll know by then whether or not construction on Room C219 is finished.

While nobody could tell me more than I already knew about the situation, I was able to obtain contact information for somebody who works with construction services. Having this information, I decided to contact the person and try to shed more light on the story. Erin Becker, the person I talked to, told me that no construction has begun as of yet, but said that Room C219 will be open to the public on August 12, 2009. I asked her whether she knew anything about Room C219 being used as storage space, but she didn’t give me any more information on this topic, other than Room C219 being completely empty to prepare for construction.

I also found out that the floor tiling in Room C219 contains asbestos. I was surprised when I heard this, but don’t worry because nobody is at risk. This is because the floor tiling is covered by carpeting, which has prevented the asbestos from becoming airborne and toxic to anyone who breathes it in. According to Ms. Becker, the asbestos should have been eliminated over spring break when a team was supposed to come and cut off the air supply to the room and dispose of the asbestos properly.

After learning these details, I wanted to ask my main question: Why hasn’t any construction taken place in Room C219? It turns out that the majority of the construction planning was finished at the beginning of this semester, but there were still some details to work out. Erin explained when MATC has a construction job to do, they try to group multiple construction jobs at once. When the jobs are grouped together, contractors bid on the jobs, and whoever has the lowest bid gets the job. This way, the more work you have when you put it out for bid, the cheaper the price. To put it simply, MATC gets more for their money. That is why the construction in Room C219 is coupled along with two other construction jobs.

I can understand why the college would want to save money on construction jobs such as this, but why did they have to wait so long to get the bidding done? Why did they have to move us down to the basement, only to find out that Room C219 was being used for storage space? Are they more concerned about their budget than having to relocate a number of students and staff? Personally, I think they should have had all of these details ironed out last semester. That way, they would have had this entire spring semester as well as the summer to finish Room C219, and we wouldn’t have had to move into Room M66 until the winter of 2008-09. At least that’s the way I feel about it.

Finally, Erin told me that construction is scheduled to begin on May 4. That construction will be completed on July 28, staff will be able to move in on August 10, and that Room C219 will be open for business on August 12. Wait a second.May 4 to August 12 is about three months. Am I supposed to believe that all the construction, moving in of furniture, and the setting up of computers and other technological equipment is supposed to be finished by August 12? Normally, I’m an optimist who believes that the glass is half full. However, I have to say that the glass is half empty this time. Three months doesn’t seem like enough time to get all of this done. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if we end up staying in the basement until spring of 2010. Then what, are they still going to keep us in the basement? Are we going to have to move yet again? I have no idea what will happen, but I hope it’s in the best interest of the students.

So, what’s the silver lining in the midst of all this mess? Well, the new Room C219 will be bigger than the old Room C219 and will offer larger faculty offices as well as some new furniture and study rooms for students. Room C219 will practically double in space, offering students more space to work and study.

Will Room C219 be ready by the fall? Like I said earlier, I’m a little pessimistic about this whole thing, but I still say let’s wait and see what happens. If Room C219 is open for the fall, great. If it isn’t, well, that’s a totally different story.