A plowed sidewalk leads straight for the 'Sidewalk Access Closed' sign along the north side of the closure, just north of the Center 4 Community. Because of this, students must take detours around the Hallet or Willard buildings to get to the C4C. (For the CU Independent/Rob Denton)
The area that is blocked off is for the renovation of Willard Hall, according to Megan Rose, communication specialist for Planning, Design and Construction.
This renovation is due to the transfer of office and administrative space from various areas of Willard to the C4C building.
Rose said the idea behind the C4C was not only to replace older, inefficient dining halls, but also to allow Willard and Hallet halls to reclaim space for student residency.
“[Resident living] was the purpose for Willard and Hallet in the beginning,” Rose said. “All that space will be open for occupancy in August.”
Construction in Willard began in April 2010, and is set to be finished in August 2011, which means the pathway will not reopen at any time this semester.
“[The contractors] need that space between Hallet and Willard for staging some of their equipment,” Rose said.
Rose said there are also safety concerns with people walking by the area, so they had the whole sidewalk blocked off to make the construction easier and more efficient.
“They will probably be done with the construction sometime in the summer, but the gates may not come down until August because they will be doing landscaping and touch-up work,” Rose said.
This detour is causing issues because it blocks one of the main paths to the C4C building, which is in turn now creating problems with students cutting through Hallet Hall.
Earlier in the semester, Hallet staff decided to lock its doors 24 hours a day because students were continually using it as an alternate path to the C4C, instead of walking around the building.
Eva Warner, a 19-year-old sophomore sociology major and an RA who works at the front desk in Hallet Hall, said the constant flow of students through Hallet was negatively affecting the residence hall community.
“Even just sitting here at the desk it’s really loud and disruptive with everyone walking in and out all the time,” Warner said. “It’s also a safety issue. When the doors are always open, it’s easy to follow somebody in.”
However, Hallet is home to about 600 students, and stopping all outside traffic has not been possible, Warner said.
Warner said Hallet did an experiment tracking how many students actually walked through the lobby each day. The result was about 900.
Jake Dwyre, an 18-year-old freshman film studies major, said the detour and locked doors of Hallet cause him and some of his friends to avoid going to C4C.
“It’s just so annoying to have to walk so far in the cold,” Dwyre said. “We really never go to the C4C anymore.”
Hallet has posted signs on each door instructing students not to enter the building unless they are residents and provides a number if a student needs to reach the Hallet office.
“When we do go, I always try to find a friend who lives there that will open the door for me,” Dwyre said.
Warner recognizes that keeping the doors locked is not always effective for keeping people out.
“As an RA, we still encourage our residents not to let people in behind them or even just ask ‘Are you a Hallet resident?’ to make everyone more aware,” Warner said.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Kelsey Krebsbach at Kelsey.krebsbach@colorado.edu.
