Pauley’s face-lift threatens tradition

Now that Pauley Pavilion is undergoing renovation, does this mean I get to graduate wearing a hard hat?

While construction is a common sight all over campus, the expansion of Pauley is one of a number of projects that seem to exist only to provide an inconvenience for current students at UCLA. Although future Bruins will undoubtedly benefit from the changes within Pauley and the new dorms being built up on the Hill, the students of today have to put up with noise, navigate detours, and deal with missed opportunities to experience some true UCLA moments.

Despite having such a large campus, you don’t have to walk far before you find some area that is roped off or surrounded by orange cones. Sometimes I feel like we’re cheapening the sights and campus views. It isn’t exactly picturesque, sitting on the top of Janss Steps, looking down into Wilson Plaza and watching the grass being reseeded instead of seeing groups of students playing Frisbee.

Of course, walking around quarantined grass may be considered a picnic to those who live up in the dorms right now. I’ve heard everything there is to hear. Students are kept awake and unable to study due to the jarring sounds of the construction of new on-campus housing facilities. Cars can hardly navigate all the detours along Charles E. Young Drive, and students have to avoid building zones, making the walk back to their rooms even longer.

I understand that projects on the Hill are built with future students in mind. I was part of the first summer program that got to live in a freshly-completed Rieber Terrace, so I won’t deny how great it was to step into a brand-new dorm room as a freshman. But that didn’t do anything to comfort the students who were crammed into triple-roommate units across the Hill before they reopened Sproul Hall.

And when I hear that Pauley Pavilion is being renovated to include three times the number of restrooms, increased seating, and a new entryway, that does little to comfort me if it threatens my chance to have my graduation ceremony there.

Walking into Pauley Pavilion in a cap and gown and crossing the stage to get a diploma is a tradition that I am really looking forward to sharing with countless alumni. But while a Daily Bruin article from last May details the fact that Pauley “will be closed only for the 2011-2012 season” of college sports, there is no indication that it will be open for any commencement ceremonies. And already the UCLA commencement Web site for the class of 2010 lists departmental ceremonies that have been held in Pauley Pavilion in the past with “TBD” locations.

It may still be too early to say for sure, but even if construction doesn’t affect seniors this year (though I suspect it will), the classes of 2011 and 2012 are bound to be at risk, as completion is estimated to be in late 2012. Say what you will about benefiting future students, but when the number of students who graduate is more than the number of students who attend basketball games each year, I don’t see any fairness in that.

Add the fact that $25 million of the $185 million total cost of Pauley’s face-lift comes out of our existing student fees. True, the money comes from fees that are supposed to pay for changes needed to keep up with seismic safety codes in buildings. However, Pauley’s current rating is “fair,” so while there is room for improvement, even the seismic renovation is not absolutely necessary.

I would understand if the current construction projects on campus were being done for necessary safety renovations or to update technology in a classroom, but closing venues and blocking off the Hill for some interior redecorating is another issue.

And I also understand that it will take a lot of time and money to build a better environment for future Bruins. However, I don’t understand why students who are here now are ignored in favor of students who will be here later. Why aren’t the bulk of construction projects completed during summer breaks, when there are fewer students around to be affected? Why do existing students have to pay for facilities they will never see? I hope that one day UCLA will consider a construction proposal that can correct both.

Taking for granted the effect constant construction has on current students is something that deserves fixing.

From being inconvenienced on our way to class to missing out on time-honored traditions, our time spent on a campus that is constantly under renovation does little to benefit our current UCLA experience.

If you’re worried about graduating in a hard hat and gown, e-mail Louth at [email protected].

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