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Because of recent criticism over the university's master plan, which includes building a residence hall on campus, university officials have been a little defensive lately.
And it's all because they made mistakes by not fully accommodating nearby residents in their decision-making.
The surrounding neighbors of the expected hall, those on Legion and Mansion avenues, are not happy and threatening litigation until their needs are met, said David Stephen, director of University Housing and Food Services.
The university is currently in a 30-day toll agreement where dialogue is taking place between it and community members, Stephen said. University officials hope the two sides can come to an agreement. If not, litigation is a real possibility - and that would mean building the residence hall, which was supposed to start construction this semester but was changed to winter break because of complaints from neighbors, would be put on hold, Stephen said.
This has caused a lot of chaos for the university, and it could have been avoided had officials consulted more with neighbors and students about their plans.
President Paul Zingg assured me dozens of meetings about the plans were held and community members were invited, but I wonder, why all the criticism now? Why the litigation now?
Clearly, the residents weren't clear enough on the plans.
Now they are.
Originally, the residence halls were supposed to be built about seven feet from the curb on Legion Avenue, according to university documents. After complaints, the building will be 20 feet from the curb.
Heavy construction will now not take place when school is in session, Stephen said.
Home inspections will have to be made to all properties in the Mansion Park neighborhood.
Other minor changes will be made, but residents want more.
One of the biggest concerns they have is parking and traffic.
Where will the additional 220 freshmen who will live in the new residence hall park their vehicles? And won't those vehicles create more traffic?
They will park on the already-impacted Legion Avenue and the provided freshman parking next to Sacramento Avenue, which has "some spots left," Stephen said.
And as far as traffic goes, Stephen says there won't be an increase because those freshmen will be on campus with food, shelter and no need to drive to school.
But those freshman will want to leave sometime. And their friends and family will come visit. And when they do, they will have to struggle like the rest of the students to find parking.
Traffic and parking are a huge problem. But it all goes back to the awareness issue.
Initially, the university sent a letter informing this year's hall residents about the construction that was supposed to start this semester, but that was after freshmen signed their intent letters to live there, Whitney Hall residents said. And yeah, officials sent the neighbors a memorandum enclosed in an envelope that didn't have a university symbol on it, but that was also sent after the university had its mind made up, said Legion Avenue resident Christina Aranguren.
That is what upset her and made her speak out at a campus planning meeting two weeks ago in front of Zingg and other university officials.
She asked the about 10 panel members, who support the plan, a simple question: "How many of you actually live close to campus?"
One raised his hand.
It seems the people making the decisions were ones who aren't going to be affected by them. They aren't the ones who will have to put up with excessive noise, potentially hazardous debris and the traffic generated through construction zones and more freshman entering and leaving school.
Aranguren realizes there's a need for a new residence hall- there's a waiting list of 700 - but she just wants the effects of the building to be lessened for the neighbors, she said.
"You wonder if they thought the whole thing through," Aranguren said.
I think they thought they did, but university officials already had their minds made up.
"Inevitably, someone will be disappointed of our actions," Zingg said to the community two weeks ago. "But we will always continue the hot route."
That hot route may just get hotter - real soon.
Mando Navarro can be reached at opinioneditor@theorion.com
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