The debate about the Christ Chapel construction is over.
Donors have graciously gifted more than $24 million to build a gathering place for the whole student body to pray, celebrate, and host grand events. For such an endeavor, the amount of construction taking over the quad is appropriate.
It’s true that students have found this immediately inconvenient to traveling around campus, but the future prospects of a building that will awe generations of students to come surpasses that.
But let’s meet in the middle. Let’s find a way to navigate this project without letting the petty frustrations of construction get in the way.
Construction obstructs the current path from the student parking lot by the security office to the A.J.’s Café. Students must navigate around Galloway, cut across the East Lawn, take the back staircase to get up to the main floor of the Grewcock Student Union, then cut across it to get a cup of coffee. It adds five minutes to a normal 2-minute walk.
Thankfully, there’s a solution.
Past the bathrooms on the main floor of the Grewcock Student Union is a small, unassuming door. That door leads to a staircase that runs past the service side of Bon Appetit, and leads to the student parking lot no more than 50 yards away.
This path would offer an easy way for students to get up the hill in a timely and organized manner. There is, however, one problem. The door is open from the inside, but is locked on the outside.
Students, regardless of their opinions, have accepted the reality of the chapel. But perhaps the administration can meet students trying to get to their morning classes halfway and keep the door open from both sides.