Tuesday, November 27, 2001

Coaches, offices relocated into trailers
By Kristin Campbell
Staff Reporter

Due to construction on the west side of the Rickel Building, about 40 spaces in the southern end of the parking lot on the northwest corner of Stadium Drive and Bellaire Drive North are now occupied by modular buildings, said David Hoyler, Physical Plant project intern.

Hoyler said the kinesiology department, volleyball and swim coaches will relocate to the trailers. The parking lot, formerly available for staff and student parking, was closed Nov. 16 and will not reopen until next fall when renovation of the Rickel Building is complete, he said.

Laura McFarland/SKIFF STAFF Due to construction on the west side of the Rickel Building, about 40 spaces in the southern end of the parking lot on the northwest corner of Stadium Drive and Bellaire Drive North, are now occupied by modular buildings said David Hoyler, Physical Plant project intern.

Joel Mitchell, kinesiology department chair, said his department will be moving lab equipment and offices into the largest trailer during the week after final exams with assistance from facility services.

Mitchell said since it was imperative to place the trailers close to utility hookups, the parking lot was the only feasible location.

Paula Monthie, a kinesiology department administrative assistant, said she is sympathetic to the parking dilemma caused by the trailers.

“I feel bad about (the trailers) taking up parking spaces,” Monthie said.

Matt Johnson, a kinesiology instructor, said the lab space professors and graduate students use will be diminished significantly, which makes research more difficult to organize. He said the students and faculty will have to find new space to conduct group interviews for qualitative research.

Johnson said the kinesiology classes will be taught in classrooms in various locations across campus.

“At least we’ll be able to get a lot of exercise,” Johnson said.

Some students said they now have a difficult time finding parking spaces to either get to class or home at night.

Christin Stafford, a junior nursing major, said she usually had a difficult time finding a parking space even before the lot was closed and now will have to search elsewhere.

Since she has a class in the Bass Building right before class in the Rickel Building, Stafford said she has to drive to class because walking takes longer than the 10 minute break between classes.

“By the time I find a parking space, I’ll be five minutes late to class,” Stafford said. “Parking was bad before this portion was closed for the trailers.”