Renovations to the Eaton computer lab are running two weeks behind schedule, and students may have to wait until the middle of the month before they can use computers in the facility under normal conditions.
The first phase of the project was due for completion at the end of October. Vice President of Operations John Roberto said that the delay is mainly due to the University's desire to keep part of the facility operational during construction.
"The logistics of trying to minimize the disruption were harder than we thought," he said. "The contractor's original schedule may have been too aggressive considering that the rest of the building and part of the lab remained in use.... And with the healthy economy, getting commitments for labor and materials can be difficult," he said.
The lab is being converted into a two-floor facility connected by a staircase. Officials expect the downstairs level to be operational within the next two weeks, at which time the upstairs lab will close to allow workers to finish renovations. A grand reopening will take place at the beginning of the spring semester.
Other changes will include the creation of a central printing location, the addition of 50 new PCs, and the replacement of Macintosh clones with 45 Apple iMacs. The d?©cor of the lab will also be redone, and it will be outfitted with ergonomically-correct furniture.
But in the meantime, attempts to make improvements are causing severe inconveniences. Students are forced to go to a temporary lab in the Tisch Library or deal with the crowded and unpleasant conditions in Eaton if they want to use public computers. In the Eaton lab, which is separated from the construction by plywood boards, students must put up with the banging and wailing of construction equipment during the day.
With its bare concrete floors and poor lighting, the facility is even less inviting at night, when rarely more than a dozen students are there at any given time.
Sophomore Matthew Downer said that, because of the renovations, he uses the Eaton lab less frequently. Instead, he often goes to the Tisch reference area, where the stations are often full with e-mailers, although sending electronic messages in the library is technically prohibited.
Senior Sahrye Cohen said she was forced to use the lab because statistics software that she needs is only available on public computers. She said that she is frustrated with having to contend with construction while working and has noticed a decline in traffic since construction began.
"I don't usually have to wait in line for a computer like you sometimes had to last year," she said. "During the day there is a lot of noise and sometimes I forget what I'm thinking about. I wish they would finish it. I thought it would be done by now. Maybe if they told us what they were doing and why it was taking so long, I'd be more sympathetic."
Cohen's criticisms were shared by other students, and after the six-month delay in the completion of Dowling Hall last year, none seemed surprised that the work in Eaton is still not finished.
"It's definitely annoying, but to a certain extent, it doesn't surprise me because they seemed to do a lot of waiting around in the summer," senior David Hartnagel said. "Considering it is the biggest computer lab on campus, you would think they would put some priority on it."
Manager of Instructional Services Jeff Weiner said these problems are being addressed and that small inconveniences are necessary in order to improve the lab in the long run.
"The Eaton lab was originally a library, and has not been completely overhauled to be a computer lab until now," he said. "There have been a couple of days without heat for system maintenance, but it should definitely be back on prior to the end of construction. The lighting is part of the renovation and will be much improved for a computing environment when the renovation is completed."
In addition to the Eaton lab, Tufts' main ongoing development project is the Psychology Research Center on Boston Avenue, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of next July. The University is in the process of hiring a contractor to finish renovations to the Latin Way dormitory. That construction will begin in February, and is expected to be done by the beginning of the 2001 fall semester.
