Issue 1: September 1st, 2022

04
THURSDAY
SEPT 1,
2022
WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE HILLTOP
Construction Begins on New
Molloy Athletics Practice
Facility
JORDAN DELFIUGO
General Assignment Reporter
USF Gas Leak -
What’s that Smell?
TALEAH JOHSON
General Assignment Reporter
NEWS
A brand new athletic space, the Malloy Athletics Practice Facility, will be
opening on campus in August of 2023. According to Michael London, Vice President
of USF Facilities, the project’s foundations are now under construction. A
press release sent out earlier this month stated that the construction is expected to
last between 12 to 14 months.
The project is an “important and key last piece in creating the USF Events
Center which includes the Pavilion, War Memorial Gym and the Sobrato Center,”
London said. He hopes that this complex will “allow USF to hold a variety of
events at the same time without impairing the comfort and utility in each of the
spaces.”
At present, only one space exists for practice and competition for the men’s
and women’s basketball as well as the women’s volleyball team, London said. “The
addition of the Pavillion will substantially relieve that congestion.”
Construction of the addition, which occupies about 15,500 square ft., is currently
underway over the Hayes-Healy surface parking lot, near the Gilson and
Hayes-Healy residence halls, which are primarily occupied by freshmen.
Julia Vakhutinskiy, a first-year entrepreneurship major, said, “As someone
who isn’t a student athlete and probably won’t get much use out of this new building,
the construction, for me, is just sort of an inconvenience.”
London asserts that all students and faculty will be able to enjoy the facilities,
“The Pavillion can be used for meetings, lectures, student events all subject
to scheduling.” He explained that currently, the main floor of the War Memorial
Gym provides these spaces.
In the meantime, there are pedestrian pathways and signage directing students
around the construction as the community awaits the unveiling of the new
building.
Campus Gathering Space
Becomes ‘Blocks of Construction’
A gas leak on lower campus left students without heat or warm
water for approximately eight hours on Wednesday, Aug 17. The leak
was found near McClaren Center according to an emergency response
email from the University. It was not substantial enough to trigger
an evacuation, but students were advised to stay indoors. First-year
architecture major Darleen Fernadiaz was in her dorm room when she
was alerted to the leak. She recalled speaking with her mother: “My
mom had called me super worried and was asking if I could smell the
gas,” she said.
First-year design major Ryan Villicana wasn’t on campus when
the alert was sent but confirmed that the rest of her night “wasn’t too
bad.”
“I couldn’t take a shower,” said Villicana, but otherwise claimed
that she was not adversely affected.
Due to the leak, dining service at the Market Café was delayed
and students were encouraged to dine at the Open Door Cafe (formerly
called the Lone Mountain Cafe) dining hall instead.
According to an email statement released from Vice President
of Student Living Julie Orio and Vice President of Facilities Management
Mike London, a PG&E team was dispatched to campus around
4 a.m. to address the leak. The team worked throughout the night to
fix the leak and gas was successfully restored to lower campus around
10:30 a.m. on Thursday, the following day.
Construction underway at Welch Field. PHOTO BY ELISE EMARD/SF FOGHORN
NIA RATLIFF
Deputy Writer
Welch Field and Gleeson Plaza have
been upended by construction during the
past summer. Students arrived last week to
find that lower campus green spaces have
been fenced off and excavated to install a
new “steamline”— a pipeline that transports
steam and that is used to heat water — to
Kalmanovitz Hall and St. Ignatius church.
The construction project began in
mid-July, and is expected to conclude in
October making it difficult for incoming
students to find their way around campus
to buildings, such as the Gleeson Library.
The halt in campus life that the construction
caused to the community space has many
questioning its timing and necessity.
In an interview with the Foghorn,
Chanda Briggs, an Outreach Librarian at
Gleeson, emphasized her concern for students'
ability to access the library. At the
recent resource fair, Dons Fest, Briggs noted
that students could not find the library. She
found Gleeson to be “cut-off” from the rest
of campus.
Yet as construction continues, hope
for the campus’ future remains. While trying
to find his way around on his first day
on-campus, Subbu Subramanian, a computer
science professor wishes the construction
wasn’t there. “Then this foggy night would
look even more pretty,” he said. However, he
noted, “I’m glad that there is activity here,
and things are getting better.”
For first-year biology major Jayleen
Dang, “the construction is what it is. The
campus is still beautiful. It’s just a grassy
lawn, there’s one by the science building.
There’s a lot to do here, and a lot of places to
study. I’m not bothered by it.”
Signage on construction sites assures
that it will be completed in two months.