Construction displaces science classes
Heather Orlando
Issue date: 9/6/07 Section: News
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Construction of the new Moss wing of Strosacker Science Center and renovations to the current building have caused 19 classes to relocate or make curriculum alterations, the Office of the Registrar estimated Friday.
"Every square inch is crammed," Registrar Douglas McArthur said. "I know that classrooms are over full - I think everybody realizes that. But I also think everybody understands this is temporary and necessary. I've been so pleased with everybody's attitudes."
The biology, chemistry and physics departments have endured the most changes. And, in the case of the chemistry and physics departments, many faculty moved offices to two houses on Union Street.
Associate Professor of Chemistry Mark Nussbaum said the renovations to Strosacker have resulted in "a lot of sharing" for the chemistry department.
"All labs are now in Dow Science [Building]," Nussbaum said. "That includes Analytic and Organic Chemistry, Science 101 and General Chemistry - everything."
Nussbaum also said that the labs for General Chemistry have been divided so that students have lab every other week to accommodate the size of the class in the available space.
Some classes are sharing lab space and operating on alternating schedules. Other back to back labs scramble to rearrange equipment
"And it gets a little more confusing then that," Nussbaum said, "Science 101 labs have three sections and are done at 2:30 on Thursdays, and Organic labs start in the same space at 2:30 as well. It gets a little hectic."
Biology Department Chairman Frank Steiner said everything is a "little disheveled."
"There has been a lot of jockeying around with the lecture and laboratory rooms," he said.
Some classes have been relocated to Phillips Auditorium. Steiner also said the biology department holds abbreviated labs for Biology 102 students because of space issues.
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