Since GUSA members met over a week ago to discuss possible solutions for alleviating student discontent over excessive construction noise in New South residence hall, both administrators and students have been considering a multitude of possible answers to students’ complaints. Additionally, the GUSA Senate drafted a resolution requesting a form of monetary compensation for students affected by the New South construction. Although its initiative is well-intentioned, throwing money at the problem is an ill-advised solution to the problem and additional ideas must be considered before real headway can be achieved in tackling this issue.
One of the major concerns regarding the potential use of monetary compensation is the origin of the money being given to students. GUSA members have suggested that the cost of compensating students could simply be taken from the funds raised for the building of the New South Student Center, but this arrangement would only force the overall budget of the project to be increased. By raising the total cost of completing the student center, the funds originally allocated to the project may not be adequate, and therefore the completion of the center would rely on pulling funds from other campus projects.
Additionally, construction is nothing new on Georgetown’s campus, so compensating students in the way GUSA hopes for would be illogical. During the building of Regents Hall, construction noise became the alarm clock for many freshmen living in Harbin well before 8 a.m. during the week. Students living in Village B apartments last semester dealt with similar noise issues during the construction of its courtyard memorial. Students affected by construction noise in the past did not received compensation.
What this call for monetary compensation does accomplish, however, is getting firm attention of administrators. A demand for change may not spark administrators’ interest as something worth taking seriously, but when a demand for money is thrown into the equation, the university might be more attentive. Even though it is a far cry to say that students could actually receive monetary compensation, administrators will likely, and should, push through changes in working hours and improve construction schedule notifications in order to appease the students while avoiding handing out checks.
The severity of this noise disruption does warrant some kind of remedy, but it can come in the form of cost-free compensation. Instead of writing checks, the Office of Residential Living could offer students living in New South higher housing points going into the housing lottery, allowing students inconvenienced by the noisy location of their housing this year to have a chance at better housing next year. Furthermore, the administration should highly consider the implications of this dilemma as plans for the Northeast Triangle dormitory come closer to fruition in order to avoid similar student dissatisfaction.
