The Medford campus underwent major infrastructural improvements this summer, as University Information Technology (UIT) completed the installation of wireless Internet access in all residence halls, and the Department of Facilities Services oversaw $12.5 million of construction and renovations.
Wireless accessible in all dorms
UIT originally projected that the cross-campus wireless installation would be completed in Dec. 2012, but the project is running a full year ahead of schedule, Director of Communications and Organizational Effectiveness for UIT Dawn Irish said. By January, every building on the Medford, Grafton and Boston campuses will have wireless, she noted.
Wireless this summer was added to Hodgdon Hall, South Hall, Lewis Hall, Miller Hall, Tilton Hall, Stratton Hall, Wilson House, Richardson House, International House, Arts Haus, Hillside House and Blakeley Hall, according to Irish.
Irish said that students always brought up wireless as a priority whenever UIT created student focus groups to discuss ways to improve the campus.
"We definitely know that wireless is extremely important to the students [and] it was extremely important to the rest of the community, so we prioritized it," she said.
The project to expand wireless access began in March 2009, according to Irish. This plan allowed UIT to install wireless in new places as well as upgrade UIT's infrastructure over the course of the following three years, Irish said.
The installation process was generally smooth but certain buildings posed a challenge, Irish claimed.
"An aging campus is not the easiest place to install wireless," she said. "We've got a lot of buildings with thick brick facades and were built in a time when these things didn't exist."
Jeff Kosokoff, director of library services and information technology for The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, said that wireless installation was "problematic" in Blakeley Hall, which is a relatively "dense" building.
Facilities face-lifts
In addition to wireless installation, a number of buildings around campus received upgrades and repairs over the summer, according to Director of Facilities Services Bob Burns.
Construction costs for this summer on the Medford campus totaled $12.5 million, according to Burns. The university plans to spend $30 million in facilities and infrastructure upgrades between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, he added.
The Mayer Campus Center received a number of improvements over the summer, including the replacement and upgrading of its air conditioning and heating systems, according to Burns.
Facilities also improved the fire alarm and sprinkler systems in the campus center and added new floors, carpets and paint to some areas, Burns said.
The entire floor on the first floor of the campus center is now on one level in order to be more wheelchair-accessible, Burns added. Facilities also improved several dorms such as Latin Way, where they renovated four suites to make them more accessible to disabled students.
The path outside Latin Way was also repaved and several bushes and benches were added to the landscape. "It was an attempt to improve the landscape and make it more attractive-looking," Burns said.
The exterior stonework has been repaired on Bendetson Hall, as well as on Goddard Chapel. These repairs are designed to prevent rain from leaking into the buildings, according to Burns.
"The whole idea is to keep the water out so we don't have rain damage," he said. "If something between the brickwork is cracked, water would run into the building."
Goddard received double-pane windows, which provide better insulation than the single-pane windows that the buildings previously had, Burns explained.
Facilities is also doing exterior renovation work on Capen House, which will continue into the fall, Burns said.
Anderson Hall received both internal and external improvements, according to Burns, including an upgrade to the laboratories in the basement of the building.
Facilities also created new bike shelters for the Tufts Bikes bike-share program. One bike shelter is located outside the lower level of the campus center, while the other is at the bottom of the steps outside of Tisch Library, Burns said.
Irish and Burns said that the best time to do construction on the campus is during the summer, when most students are absent.
"When the students are gone, we have to capitalize on the fact that the dorms are empty," Irish said.
"We try to get all the [projects] that impact students, especially major dorms, done during the summer so those facilities are ready to go when everyone comes back to school," Burns said. "We really can't do a lot when classes are in session. It would be too disruptive," he added.
This fall, Facilities will plan construction projects for next spring and summer, according to Burns. Meanwhile, UIT will continue to improve the wireless access in faulty areas in Fletcher, according to Kosokoff.
