Hill’s perks outweigh fuss

In the story about construction on the Hill, “Hill
construction fails to build” (News, Jan. 21), Hedrick Hall is
singled out as being a residence hall with so many disadvantages
that there couldn’t possibly be anything good about living at
the “top of the Hill.” This is an unfair
assessment.

First it was the building of De Neve, then the renovation of
Courtside and the remodeling of Sproul Hall, followed by digging
for the Dykstra Hall parking lot. Now it is the construction of
Rieber North and West. Each hall has been faced with its own set of
problems and solutions, complaints and praises in conjunction with
construction.

Although construction has meant being awakened by machinery and
longer walks to class, it shouldn’t deter one from enjoying
living in Hedrick, or anywhere on the Hill.

Construction has affected the entire Hill and it is part of the
process to make on-campus housing more accessible to UCLA students.
What residents see now are the beginnings of what the Hill will be
like in the future ““ and they will look back and see that it
was worth it.

The projection that Tidal Wave II will bring in 60,000 students
between the years 2000 and 2010 is one reason for construction of
new residence halls. Also, making four-year housing available may
benefit some people who might not want to live in the apartments
and will give students a greater opportunity to be really involved
with UCLA.

The experience of living on campus is different from that of
commuting or living in the apartments. A sense of community is
being built on the Hill, especially by the Office of Residential
Life.

ORL is working non-stop to find ways to alleviate the effects of
construction. They have also been affected by construction through
reduction in programming space. They have had to learn different
ways to address construction issues, and also live in and around
construction themselves.

One can simply say “just deal with it” when it comes
to construction, but residents are also given options. They can
talk to their resident assistant or program assistant about their
concerns or talk to the construction mitigator who has a say in
where the mitigation money goes through floor or hall government
meetings.

A 15-minute walk to campus is something of a dream for some who
must commute to school every day and deal with parking as well. For
the most part, being so close to the UCLA campus allows students to
be more involved at UCLA and all that it offers.

Living on the Hill means watching a free sneak at Ackerman and
getting a smoothie on the way home. Living on the Hill means going
to “The Price is Right.” Living on the Hill means one
is part of a close-knit community spanning from Dykstra to Hitch.
Living with construction is a continual process which should be
taken in stride and with patience, just like everything else in
life.

Leung is a second-year undeclared student.