As much of The University of Memphis exterior undergoes construction, the same will be happening to the residence halls across campus.
Since the start of the fall semester, residence life has overseen the renovation of the fire and sprinkler systems of Richardson Towers and plans to do the same for the other dormitories.
The renovation, which is not required by law, will occur in all of the residence halls, one building at a time.
"The workers had all of the first semester and the break to work on the first floor and the basement of Richardson Towers," said Danny Armitage, associate director for residence life.
"They will leave the site and return over the summer to work on the rest of the building," he said.
Armitage also said that the renovation is not the result of the Richardson Towers fire alarm problems of the past in which more than 20 fire drills occurred in 2003-2004.
"That was an electrical problem we fixed before the fall semester," he said. "In fact, we have only had about two fire drills this year."
In order to inform residents, newsletters have been distributed to students about the project. As well as explaining the nature of the construction, the newsletters update residents on the progress and extent of the project.
"Yeah, I knew about it through the handouts," said Winston Cross, a junior finance major.
"But since I live on the second floor I always wake up to the sound of hammers and drills. It was hard to get rest for finals last semester because of the noise.
"The handouts didn't mention that."
The Richardson renovation has female residents on edge as well. The basement, which is located in the girls' side, has been the center of most of the work thus far.
Freshman political science major Crystal Kimbro lives on the third floor and said she can hear the drilling from the basement through the walls.
"I hate it," she said. "You wake up early in the morning and you hear the pounding.
"I mean, people are trying to sleep."
But the pounding and hammering has subsided this semester and student life will go back to normal. Until then, students must learn to deal with the sounds and sites of construction work.
"I can't wait until it's over," said Lauren Prather, a freshman biology major. "But I see that it's there and I just avoid it."
