By EMILY WINSETT
Staff Writer
 

Heath Huston, a first-year resident of Hedge, said the construction "wakes me up in the morning."

"When I'm on the phone people ask me if I live near a train because of all the noise," said Hedge resident Ashley Cave '01.

The groundbreaking for the building occurred shortly after Commencement last June. It is scheduled to be completed in 1999.

The new building will house the social science departments. Each department will have its own lounge in which students and faculty can meet with one another easily in a relaxed environment.

As college life becomes second nature to the students living in Hedge, the construction also becomes a routine part of their daily lives. In the interim, the noise around the construction site is less than soothing.

"The noise can be very irritating, but I've actually learned to tune some of it out," said Katherine Saegh '01.

In addition, the building is designed to accommodate several 25person seminar rooms, a few large classrooms, various laboratories and faculty offices large enough to hold conferences with three or four students.

The building's focal point will be an 8000-square feet, three-story atrium overlooking the Puddle.

Currently, "everything is going according to schedule," said Bernard Carpenter, treasurer and vice president for financial affairs, who controls the new building's schedule.

He attributes the success of the punctual progress of the building to the contractor hired for the job. "He's a good contractor who's keeping us where we're expected to be," he said.