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Construction obstruction

 

 Renovations are being made throughout Grambling State University. These areas include the Yard next to the Barnes and Noble bookstore and Tiger Express, the area between Lee Hall and Grambling Hall.

 or the past two weeks, the area has been shut down for renovations, causing student activities to be moved to the  university’s food court, Tiger Express.

 n the Yard, they plan to remove the umbrellas that the Student Government  Association recently purchased during Channing Gaulden’s term as SGA president. The umbrellas will be replaced with flower beds, in addition to transforming the gravel into a sidewalk. 

 here will also be six or seven picnic tables placed in this area where those umbrellas will be used.

Extra lighting will be added in the Yard to provide a more safe and secure area, allowing students a place to hang out and feel comfortable at night. 

 ”The Student Government Association is very excited for the beautification of our campus,” said Jordan Harvey, current SGA president. 

Harvey says it’s important to renovate the Union because it is a “central gathering place” for students. 

ast semester, the university removed the flag pole that stands in front of Long-Jones Hall. Future plans are to build another tiger statue, which has already been sketched out and approved. 

According to William Sutton, the university originally planned to have an unveiling of the tiger statue next month, but certain constraints prevented this from happening. 

 ”The university had a goal of having the tiger sculpture unveiled during Homecoming, but during the summer the artist said it wouldn’t be ready by then,” said Sutton, who is the acting communications and public relations director at Grambling State. “So now we are waiting on the artist’s feedback because we want to have a quality piece.”

 he university has been working closely with the artist to see when will be the best projected date for the statue’s unveiling, which is either set  for this fall or winter.

“It would be nice to have the unveiling during Homecoming weekend, but not at the expense for a shabby piece of art,” said Sutton.

 his week, workers were seen cutting down several trees along Main Street.

 ”They are trimming some trees and they are cutting down others,” said Sutton. “The ones that they are cutting down are dead.”

 e said the university worked with the current contractors for the Quad to help identify the dead trees.

 n the past, during heaving rainstorms, several limbs and branches have fallen off the dead trees along Main. Sutton said this is a huge safety hazard for students and faculty. 

 ”Almost every storm there has been limbs and branches on the ground and cars are parked nearby,” said Sutton. “Although there are some greenery on the tree, the bulk of the tree is dead.”

 round campus, students, faculty, alumni and community members have noticed the renovations occurring throughout Grambling State. There is a brand new sidewalk on Central Avenue and innovated parking lot behind Tiger Express and the Favrot Student Union. 

 ncreased attention to landscaping has been done in front of Brown Hall, the Assembly Center, Conrad Hutchinson Performing Arts Center and the Quad.  

 n front of Brown Hall there is a raised university logo that is surrounded by seasonal shrubs and flowers. Grambling plans to have a water irrigation system throughout the newly landscaped areas.  

 ecause of the new water irrigation system, university officials have started enforcing regulations banning students and faculty from walking or parking on these areas.

 

Joshua Freeman, Diana Sepulveda and Tierra Smith contributed to this report.