Since Fall 2022, Rowan students have gotten acclimated and accustomed to the ongoing construction and ongoing inconvenience being done to the Chamberlain Student Center. The construction was originally supposed to conclude in the Fall of 2023, as reported by a Whit article published at the very start of the process back in September 2022. 

It has been pushed back multiple times since, with the most recent promised deadline being Oct. 15, 2024. An article published just a few weeks ago by The Whit reported that the reason for this delay was due to issues with the weather and supply chain. 

With this deadline rapidly approaching, students can observe the unavoidable, unfinished construction, with dirt still in place of a concrete walkway and large fences that block off the intersection between the Campbell Library and the Student Center. 

The project development cost is $30M and will feature new restaurants and amenities, including another Saxbys location, along with academic spaces and office spaces for students to utilize. With a project of this caliber and scale, it’s not unheard of for things to not meet their initial deadline. It’s expected that massive renovations and construction projects take quite a bit of time to complete so that they are safe and the best they can be for students and faculty. 

While it’s exciting to hear that the building may finally finish its construction before the student body goes home for the holidays, many students can’t help but feel a bit skeptical about whether or not this will remain just another deadline that slips through the cracks and is pushed back further.

Construction consumes the center of our campus, with only 11 days to finish this project. Large fences stand where walkways are intended to be, and the building has yet to show signs of full completion. However, the optimistic statement that we may get to see the results of this project soon, is an exciting possibility.

The Whit Staff believes that it’s okay for things to take longer than expected, obstacles and roadblocks are natural in any project, especially building renovations and massive expansions. However, it is also the university’s job to hold themselves accountable for meeting the deadlines that they set and be transparent and communicative about why they are not being fulfilled on time. 

Part of this transparency can come with Rowan Announcers or social media posts. Even if the university were to admit that they don’t know how long it will take, it would provide more of a genuine answer to the question we all have been wondering. 

Strong leadership isn’t about having all of the answers, it’s about admitting when you don’t.