Officials Minimize Construction Noise for Exams

Construction projects on North and South Campus will continue during final exam week, but University officials say they have taken steps to minimize the inconvenience to students.

Rebecca Casey, assistant director of the Department of Housing, said her office has stressed the importance of maintaining a study-friendly environment during exam week.

"It has been emphasized and re-emphasized to the contractors that students should not be disturbed during exam time," she said.

Casey said construction on South Campus will have little impact on residents because most of the jobs will deal with interior work on continuing projects, keeping the noise and physical disruption to a minimum.

But North Campus residents might be more affected by construction, Casey said. She said her office has developed regulations to minimize noise, including making sure construction work will not begin before 8 a.m. and limiting the use of heavy machinery.

If students witness violations of this policy, Casey said they should immediately report this information to the Department of Housing.

She also said her office plans to identify some alternative study areas on campus and will notify students of these locations via e-mail by early next week. This information also will be available on the Department of Housing's Web site.

Ed Willis, director of construction management, also emphasized that construction work should not interfere with final exams.

"If contractors are doing something that is disruptive to students, we will fix it," he said. "We reserve the right to tell them to stop working at any time."

He said his office would be extremely responsive to any student complaints during exam week. "Students should focus on exams and not construction, so we will make every effort to make sure they are not disturbed."

Some on-campus residents say they do not expect construction efforts to be an inconvenience next week.

Ashley Chappell, a sophomore living in Ruffin Residence Hall, said she will not be bothered by the noise outside her residence hall.

"I'm really not worried about construction during finals," she said. "Noise hasn't been that much of a problem, and we can always just walk to the library."

But other students expressed frustration with the construction continuing during exam week. Amanda Cole, a freshman from Ehringhaus Residence Hall, said the construction noise will affect her studying.

"I don't want to be interrupted by construction work while I'm studying for a major exam," she said. "The work is so loud, and it's a real inconvenience."

She said the proposed construction regulations by the Department of Housing will be inadequate in creating an environment conducive to studying. "I need the quiet during the day. These rules are not going to help me at all."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.