By Kassidy McDonald

In October 2019, the University of Maryland broke ground on construction of the new School of Public Policy, a 70,000-square-foot project, which will be completed in 2022. 

The new building will accommodate the growing number of public policy students at this university and become an important resource to faculty, staff and students. According to the School of Public Policy’s website, undergraduate students explore concepts such as climate change, security relations and global philanthropy. The School of Public Policy focuses on cultivating ideas and turning their students into leaders. 

Construction of the School of Public Policy is now well underway, and while some students are excited about what this can do for the major, some students are not too happy with how the ongoing construction is affecting their commutes to class. 

Emma Hammer is a sophomore Public Policy and Accounting major who is very involved in the School of Public Policy. Hammer is the treasurer of the Policy Student Government Association, a School of Public Policy student ambassador, and the secretary of her public policy professional fraternity. She says she loves public policy as her major because it is a close-knit group of peers and professors.

Hammer was one of the attendees at the groundbreaking, where she learned that there will be many useful resources in the new building, such as a room that simulates an assembly chamber. She hopes that the new building will give public policy majors the space and resources they need to succeed. 

“This building is needed because the major has doubled in the past year and will continue to grow,” Hammer said.

While many are excited about the construction, some students living in Montgomery Hall, Washington Quad, Landmark and Fraternity Row do not seem to be excited.

Charlotte Marantz is a sophomore criminology major who lives in the Washington Quad. She expressed her discontent with the ongoing construction near her residence hall. 

“As a student who lives on South Campus, I find that the construction of the new building has been a nuisance and an eye sore,” Marantz said.

She also expressed how hard it has become to access the Armory and to get to her sorority house on Fraternity Row. 

Olivia Beach is another student who finds the ongoing construction to be an inconvenience. Beach, a sophomore economics major, lives in Montgomery Hall. Her biggest concern, besides the noise of the construction, is how it has closed at least two major walking paths for students living nearby. 

“It is just not enough room for the huge amount of people that walk past everyday, and sometimes I end up walking on muddy grass,” Beach said.

The construction has caused many criticisms from students commuting to class, but for public policy majors and faculty, they hope that the new building will contribute to the success of the growing major.

Featured photo: The construction for the new School of Public Policy blocks the pathway of several major walkways students use to get to class. Construction for the project broke ground in October of 2019, and these walkways will not be cleared for student use. Photo by Kassidy McDonald.