By KC Lampa
The Future U renovation project began its first construction phase of the Friendship Walk on April 14 which is expected to be completed by Aug. 31.
ASI seeks to improve accessibility by constructing the Friendship Walk stairs through “new stairs and sloped walkways,” as their website states.
The trees that are being removed will also be repurposed and replaced with new California native trees.
The ASI website provides a map of alternate travel paths to assist students with campus navigation during the construction period. These paths are meant to be accessible for everyone.
Many students are unsatisfied with the construction and how it has changed the campus.
“It’s a little inconvenient,” second-year molecular cell biology major Alejandro Sosa said. “I normally used to walk through the stairs, [and] the grass was nice to be hanging out with friends, but that’s been a little different.”
Arabella Lazzeroni, a second-year dance major, also finds the construction frustrating.
“I think it’s pretty inconvenient because it’s already pretty crowded at upper campus, and it’s making the other pathways more crowded,” Lazzeroni said.
Tien Tran, a graduate student studying mathematics, said “I know [the escalators] break down a lot, but it does work better than, let’s say, if everybody went to wait for an elevator.”
Currently, the Future U project plans to replace the USU escalator “with stairs, at a gradual incline. There will also be two additional elevators constructed, leaving four total elevators next to the USU to serve students,” according to an article from the Current.
Other students such as Devon Lam, a third-year mechanical engineering major, have contrasting perspectives on the construction to the Friendship Walk stairs.
“I haven’t noticed the construction because all my classes are in the engineering building, so it’s not really in that area,” Lam said.
Third-year film major Nathan Basurto looks forward to the finished product.
“I’m sad to see the trees go, but if it makes getting up and down this campus easier for people who have a hard time getting up and down this campus, I like people more than trees,” Basurto said. “If that is ultimately what it does, I guess I got no problem with that.”
The Associated Students Inc. web page for the project timeline explains each projected phase and period of the Future U project.
ASI Communications, Associate Director of Programs and Communications, Taylor Buhler-Scott, said the project timeline is on track, and construction on the stairs is still projected to finish on time.
The website explains that the Future U project aims to increase the amount and quality of resources available to students, faculty and staff.
This includes food options, lounge and study areas, technological advancements and ADA accessibility additions.
