Construction delays cause class confusion

Opening of new building put off, relocation of 75 classes originally scheduled to be held in CSI

by John Reesman

Due to logistical delays, the new five-story hub of the Center for the Sciences and Innovation (CSI) was unable to hold classes at the beginning of the Spring 2012 semester.

Advanced contingency planning allowed enough options to reschedule sections originally opening on CSI to other facilities on campus. The cause of the delay appears to be minor and temporary.

“We are still waiting on some materials to be delivered,” John Greene, director of facility services, said. According to Greene, the contractors are responsible for the delivery delays. Greene added that CSI has officially received a Certificate of Occupancy from the City of San Antonio.

Although CSI was not ready to accommodate 75 sections scheduled in the building, existing science facilities allowed flexibility for the Office of the Registrar to move classes around.

“We used the Cowles Life Science Center as a backup for the lectures that were scheduled in CSI,” registrar Alfred Rodriguez said. “Rescheduling the labs was more difficult.”

Even though the next phase of construction slates the Moody Engineering Building for demolition, the space became useful again by accommodating the needs of laboratory courses, which need certain materials.

“We coordinated with the science department chairs in order to find appropriate locations for labs that require special equipment,” Rodriguez said. “It was a collaborative effort to allow for the most efficient and appropriate reassignment of classroom and laboratory space.”

Meetings among Facility Services, the Registrar, the administration and the general contractor allowed a contingency plan to be formulated before the winter break.

“Before the Christmas break, we had some planning meetings with the administration, facility services and the contractors to make sure we had a contingency plan ready to go,” Rodriguez said.

After the meeting, Rodriguez created a final contingency plan, which was disseminated to students and faculty via email over the weekend before classes began. Today, a meeting will be held between the Registrar, the administration, Facility Services and the contractors in order to finalize a completion date for the new building.

“Our expectation is that we will be moving into to CSI on Monday,” Rodriguez said. “I will send an email to students announcing more details about the transition to CSI on Friday.”

According to Rodriguez, CSI will not only incorporate various science lectures and labs but will also serve as a multidisciplinary space for departments across campus.

“This spring, there is a first-year seminar in CSI as well as courses in international studies,” Rodriguez said. “We really do want to make this facility available to the entire campus.” Rodriguez added that some science classes would actually be scheduled across campus, instead of solely on the north side of campus.

As students walking to class have observed the construction of CSI over the course the last year, some are starting to take note of its unique architecture.

“The large glass panels are an interesting way to add transparency to the classroom,” first-year Galvé Deleste said. “I hope to fulfill my science requirement in CSI.”

As soon as the construction is is officially completed, classes which were originally scheduled to be held in CSI will be moved from their current locations into the new building.