Students may dread construction detours that could cause them to be late for the first few weeks of classes, but Ronald Hanke, director of facilities planning and construction, said that should not be the case this year.

“Since the vast majority of construction is taking place within fenced areas, I don’t believe construction will have a negative impact on students or create any delays during the first week of classes,” Hanke said.

Hanke said they are respecting the students and staff and are trying to make sure that the construction will not cause any problems.

“We are sensitive to student/class hours and try to schedule disruptive work during evenings or weekends,” Hanke said.

Besides the obvious construction sites on campus, there are a few more, which could surprise students..

The Beta residence hall’s renovation will be coming to an end this year. Students will be able to move in this fall. The project will add 296 beds. New commons spaces will be built on each floor of the residence hall. A new portal for access through the building will be constructed to allow for easy access to the pedestrian paths and the Greenway. The renovation allows for a much-needed overhaul of the oldest dorm on campus, according to Residence Services.

Cypress Hall, according to the Residence Services Web site, has been completed and is ready for fall move-ins. These new residence halls consist of a total of 602 beds and will offer apartment-style living. The complex will share a joint community building with a life and learning center located in the middle.In order to help with ever-increasing traffic on campus, the Collins Boulevard Parking Facility opens today. The structure adds 1,500 parking spaces and is located in front of the USF library. It was designed to be a signature building at a prime campus location.

The College of Business Administration is also under heavy construction. The designs call for an expansion in the number of classrooms and offices to better serve the students and staff.

“It is on schedule for completion and occupancy for (the) spring 2005 term,” Hanke said.

The new expansion for the college will provide 28,000 net square feet of offices and classrooms. This will serve the Executive MBA Program, Physicians MBA, Entrepreneurial Studies and future executive educational spaces.

The Natural and Environmental Sciences facility will be under construction until January of 2005. The construction will provide for a new 37,000 square-foot science facility. The additional space will allow for more research opportunities as well as offering increased class and office space.

The Chemistry Building’s renovations will allow for more classrooms and updated equipment. According to Hanke, it is on schedule for occupancy in fall of 2005.

Finally, The College of Nursing is going through renovations and expansions, resulting in more classrooms and office space. Much of the current construction is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2005.

With all of the different construction sites around USF, some students don’t seem bothered.

“It’s not affecting me. I usually take classes during the evening, so I avoid the major headaches that most students suffer,” said Helmuth Arens, an engineering student.

Some of USF faculty also claim the construction causes no real setbacks.

“As a faculty (member), the construction on campus does not affect me at all except for some minor traffic delays,”said Alaa Ashmawy, an engineering professor said.