With rumors spreading, Housing and Residence Life recently updated students on the Village's progress.
"We're using the term 'possibly' they won't be ready because I have not been told they won't be ready," said Kim Trupp, director of Housing and Residence Life. "The feedback I've been getting from our project management team is now that we're getting closer there is a potential that two of the buildings may not be ready by the time we have to open them."
Trupp said these precautionary plans have to be made in the event of incompletion.
Trupp said her office receives their information from the University's Contract Management Team, which works with the contractor.
"One of the things we work with the contractors on is the construction schedule, so it's something we monitor constantly," Trupp said.
Trupp uses the term potentially because she has never heard all the Village's dorms definitely won't be ready by the anticipated fall date.
The buildings were built in three phases. The first phase contained the three sorority dorms.
Panhellenic adviser Jill Moore and Trupp said they're not worried about the possible delay, because sorority housing will be completed in time for recruitment in the fall.
"The sororities had made the request," Moore said. "They approached the University and said, something had to be finished first and asked if it could it be our (sorority) buildings."
Because of the limited space in the Hill sorority chapter rooms, the Village will accommodate the growing sorority chapters.
"Where we are now simply doesn't accommodate the large recruitment we have," Moore said.
The next phase consists of three buildings Trupp was confident would be ready by fall.
Phase three includes two buildings.
The largest building in the Village, which can hold around 300 students, will contain the Living/Learning Communities, and is one of the two buildings in phase three.
To compensate for the possible incomplete buildings, Trupp said they are looking for temporary accommodations until the buildings could be usable.
All the non-Greek buildings contain classrooms expected to host fall classes.
"We're still finding out if classroom space is going to be available," Trupp said. "There are some questions still being answered like whether classroom space will be available, and if not then we'll just have to wait till it is."
The temporary housing accommodations will be in the C.D.V. Extension because Housing and Residence Life had not planned on using it for undergraduate residence Trupp said.
"Since we're in a transitional year there, we have some temporary accommodations right on campus," Trupp said.
Trupp said students living in the Village that incompletion might affect will be given this information when Housing and Residence Life sends out housing assignments.
The attitude regarding the Village construction Trupp said has remained positive, but realistic about the completion before the fall.
Some remain optimistic about completion.
Dan Summer, project manager of the Village construction, said the contractors intend to finish all eight buildings by the fall contract date.
"We don't see (that completion) won't happen," Summer said. "As far as I'm concerned, the eight buildings are still what our goals are."
The large-scale construction of the project and weather both play a role in the Village's completion.
"If there's any condition that would delay anything, it'd be the weather," Summer said. "If the weather keeps holding like it is now, it'll make it a lot easier and much more productive for us."
Trupp told concerned residents to keep checking the Housing and Residence Web site for updates, which she will keep updating in the Summer.
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