The mold-infested Women’s Quadrangle has been festering on campus for a while now, waiting for severely overdue renovations to make it once again habitable for students. But now, these renovations may prove harder to get rolling than previously anticipated.
Like many projects, plans to renovate campus buildings have to first run through a lot of bureaucracy, where state officials convene to approve the loans that USC needs to conduct these projects. The problem is, consent needs to be given from all members on the board, and one member is holding out because he still has a few questions he wants answered. As a result, the decision has been postponed until the next scheduled meeting, which is in May — also when the renovations were supposed to begin.
For a project as critical as this one, USC can’t afford to waste any more time. A delay in the project’s start date could very likely mean students wouldn’t be able to move in on time in Fall 2014, the intended completion date. With USC’s campus as congested as it already is and more than 1,000 students turned away from on-campus housing, a delay would be disastrous. Moreover, the fungal state of Sims is a threat to students’ health.
The board should strongly consider holding a special meeting as soon as possible to get the renovation approved. There may be some other projects the state can afford to wait on, but USC’s hazardous housing is not one of them.