Please note that the information below is subject to change; updates will be posted when available.
Q: When will classes in the new Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSS) building begin?
A: Classes will be taught in new BSS building classrooms beginning with the Fall 2007 semester.
Q: When will faculty be moving into their BSS offices?
A: Over this summer. The actual moves will after the Spring 2007 semester ends, to be completed before the Fall 2007 begins. More details will be posted as they become available.
Q: Harry Griffith Hall is going to be unavailable for Fall 2007 while its infrastructure (heating system, etc.) undergoes renovation. Some faculty who will eventually move into Harry Griffith Hall will need to be housed elsewhere during that time. When and where will they be temporarily moved, and for how long?
A: After the current occupants of offices on the ground floor of the library are moved to their new spaces in the BSS, the library offices will be used temporarily for those who are displaced by the HGH renovation. They will occupy offices in the library until HGH is ready for occupancy, which is anticipated to be in time for the Spring 2008 semester.
Q: What about the University Annex? Will we still be using the classrooms there in Fall 07?
A: Not in Fall 07, though some lecture or seminar spaces might be utilized for summer sessions. Because our lease for the Annex expires September 30, all spaces must be cleared out by then.
Q: How will stuff get from old offices to new offices?
A: Everyone who is moving will pack up his/her own belongings: files, papers, books, personal materials, and so on. Boxes and tape will be provided. Some help from student workers may be available as well. Facilities personnel will coordinate the movers’ transportation of packed boxes from old office to new office.
THREE IMPORTANT POINTS ABOUT MOVING:
Q: Several rumors about BSS space allotments for individual departments have been floating around, and none of them matches the allotments listed on the Facilities website. It’s also impossible to find out exactly what will be in the computer labs and other spaces. What’s going on?
A: Multiple factors account for difficulties in sorting through information regarding BSS, and most of them have to do with the passage of time. The building project began more than fifteen years ago. Plans were approved, along with the budget, by the Board of Trustees in 1997 and reaffirmed in 2002 after the first bid failed. Because the specifics of our needs, the spaces, their costs, and their assignment have been continually evolving since 1997, multiple versions of the building’s occupancy and characteristics have been drafted and are still floating around out there. In the course of more than a decade, that’s turned out to be a lot of versions. At the same time, staff reductions have disrupted efforts to keep the Facilities website current.
Also, as the building approaches completion after so long, with all construction costs having skyrocketed and some bond allocations having shrunk, there are still questions about exactly what can be in place by the time we take final possession of the building. We’ll do our best to keep this site updated with the most recent information possible.
Q: Then who has information about office assignments, what rooms will be used for which function, computer lab equipment, and so on?
A: The dean of each college is allocating spaces to individual departments, so information about office assignments should be available from department chairs and/or the deans. Questions about equipment for and use of specific rooms and labs should also be directed to your college dean.
Q: Where do I go to find out where the new BSS classrooms are and what their capacity is?
A: You can find them through Banner, but for your reference here are the four unrestricted classrooms; the plan is to equip each as a smart classroom:
BSS 166 – interdisciplinary lecture space, 80 stations (tiered)
BSS 204 – interdisciplinary lecture space, 48 stations (tablet)
BSS 211 – interdisciplinary seminar space, 16 stations (table/chairs)
BSS 408 – interdisciplinary lecture space, 27 stations
Q: What will the furniture in BSS be like?
A: Furniture selection is still in progress, as budget considerations are juggled with the need to support the building’s core functions. But we should be able to look at and discuss “typicals” – information about the typical furnishings under consideration for each kind of space – by early March.
Q: What about power outlets, phone ports, or data jacks – how can I find out how many there are in a space and where they are located?
A: The construction management unit is in the process of verifying this information, checking what is on the plans against what is actually going into the rooms. Information about how to get your questions answered about these issues will be posted as soon as it’s available.
Q: Can we ask for changes (for example, moving a door or adding a partition or an outlet) now, while the building is under construction?
A: No, any change will have to be done in the future as a “remodel.” This is due to contract terms and cannot be altered.
Q: Can we arrange to have a tour of the new building, or at least our area or office?
A: Unfortunately, no. The contractor is working on a tight timeline to meet the deadline we want them to meet, so the interruptions or complications that might result from future occupants’ presence in the building can’t be accommodated.
Q: How environmentally responsible is the BSS?
A: We can take great pride in the fact that the BSS has been designed to qualify for Gold Certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.