Nothing is too monumental to handle.
But the construction of the new University Center is beginning to seem that way.
Instead of the original start date of May 2006, the new date for construction will be December 2006, according to William Porter, dean of students.
"We wanted something that wouldn't look out of place on this part of the campus," Porter said.
The delay is due to a lack of consensus about the plans among those involved in the planning process. Porter said that the plans the architect brought to the table in Fall 2005 were too modern for the part of the campus that The UC is on, making the new UC look more like the FedEx Institute of Technology or the public Memphis City Library.
While the majority of the lack of agreement is due to the outside look of the building, there were also items on the internal plans of the building that also needed to be changed. One of the things that needed to be changed was moving the location of a restroom to make way for a larger first floor entryway, according to Porter.
"Since Christmas, the architects have come back and given us plans that give us much more of a consensus," he said. "The new plans bring in architectural elements from the Administration building, the bookstore and even the parking garage."
The news of this delay has brought mixed reactions.
Sophomore nursing major Blair Gay sees a December construction start as causing more problems on campus than starting it in the summertime when construction workers could work longer.
"I see it as an inconvenience for students as well as workers," she said. "I hate that it's going to be pushed back."
While some see the new construction date as an inconvenience, others see it as a way to enjoy having The UC a while longer.
"It gives us more time to enjoy it while it's here," said Mark Baker, a junior English major. "But still, it's delaying the inevitable."
Yet this is not the first delay in The UC construction. The idea of building an entire new UC came about in 2003, which was not the original plan for the building. According to Porter, the original idea was to renovate the buildings inside.
"The renovations would just be infrastructure and not much else," he said. "The renovation was to be the final piece of a package of campus improvements."
The package that Porter refers to included an addition to the campus recreational center and the construction of the Rose Theatre, bridge, clock tower and the student plaza.
While the other projects have been completed, The UC is the last one left.
To some, the news of the delay is not that shocking.
"I always figured that it would take a year longer," said Laura Corcoran, a freshman history major. "I don't see it as a surprise or anything."
