People at Eastern have anticipated the opening of the new Doudna Fine Arts Building for many years. The university has persevered through steel price increases, government set backs and delayed funding to make Doudna a reality. However, the construction of Doudna has been troublesome to students and faculty.

The construction of the new fine arts building has made a lot of progress during the summer months, including: “building C has been put up, building D across the street has been started, dry wall has been started, the steel studs for the walls have been put up, the duct work for most of buildings A and B and the basement of basement of C has been put up as well,” said Edward Edwards, a construction worker working on the project.

“It is a big noticeable change,” said Edwards, “it’s not just a flat concrete. The building is being closed in now and you can’t just look through it anymore.”

While most people are pleased with the progress the construction crew is making, some students and faculty find the building an inconvenience.

Jon Powley, a junior sociology major, said the university taking his money and using it to build a building he will never find use for or ever see completed made him “feel used because [he has] no use for it, while future art students see some use in it” he will never reap the benefits.

The biggest inconvenience for him, and a lot of other students, is the blocking off of Seventh Street.

“The area between the police station and Buzzard is an inconvenience to have blocked off,” said Powley. “You have to go around the Life Science Building instead of going down the street. Some people probably complained, not anyone in the art department, but people are used to being able to go down the street in the past.”

“The university is constantly an eyesore with construction,” said Powley. “I am tired of seeing fenced in areas with trailers on campus. It has always been that way somewhere on campus since I’ve been here.”

Marylin Lisowski, a professor in the education department for 20 years, is another who finds the construction of Doudna an inconvenience.

Lisowski said she will be really happy when the fine arts department leaves Buzzard and gets their own building.

“Buzzard will be real happy when [they’re] gone to go over to their own classes because it will really reduce the traffic flow,” said Lisowski. “[I mean] there is a piano in the lab room. It makes it difficult to teach science with a piano taking up room. It is definitely a change element because you can’t cut across so you have to change traffic patterns. While most people are adaptable, I will be happy when it is all done and everything goes back to normal flow.”

Brian Compton, senior psychology major, sees the construction of the building a little differently.

“I see the fact that they need to improve the campus, but I would have liked to see some of the result,” said Compton. “It will see its bit of use, but only for art majors. It is not really of use to me.”

However, Compton looks at the actual construction optimistically.

“It is not a handicap to get to classes, at least for me,” said Compton. “Every campus is going to have construction on it, I just hope it doesn’t look ugly when it’s done.”

Erin Collins, junior English major, looks at the construction of Doudna as a positive thing. Collins said she thinks it is unfair to make the art students travel all the way to the former Osco just to attend classes. Collins thinks that they should have a place of their own on campus, and that the traveling inconveniences are nothing compared to the final result.

“I really love being proud of Eastern,” said Collins. “I love looking at things and seeing it as beautiful, and if the Fine Arts building is going to make me proud and been seen as beautiful, then I don’t mind my money being spent on it.”

Another person who sees the construction as a positive thing is Mike Havy, psychology professor. He had walked through the old Doudna building and knew how desperately the building needed to be redone.

“It really needed to be revamped; it was old and needed renovation,” said Havy. “For people who have not seen the old [building], they can get impatient with the construction. But if you have seen the old [building] you know how much the university needed a new one.”

“I am really excited about it when it is finished,” continued Havy. “I think it will be a real asset to the university.”

The construction crew will be working through winter, said Edwards, on mostly interior improvements. Some people like Collins feel that the construction will be done on it’s palnned completion date of fall 2007.

However, others like Lisowski, Powley and Edwards feel that the building will probably not be done on time no matter how fast they work.