St. John’s University’s Queens campus is 105 acres. That may not seem like a lot, but when your only transportation is your walking shoes and you have limited time to get things done, your feet begin to feel it.

For resident students, their convenient access to the great lawn area of campus has been temporarily blocked. This has caused students to leave earlier, as much as 15 minutes (which is a lot to ask for when the class is at 7:35 a.m.).

For new students, it already takes more time to get to classes than the upper classmen, and taking the less direct route just increases the possibility of getting lost. “I was very stressed that I was going to get lost on my first day,” said freshman Krystal Torres, a resident in Donavan Hall. “My first class was at 8 a.m. and I was nervous because I was unsure how to get there and I did not want to be late.” On the other hand, Amanda Coleman, another freshman resident in Donavan, noted, “I don’t mind not having the stairs because the extra walking gives me time to clear my head before and after class.”

The one bright side of this situation is that it promotes more exercise in our daily routine by letting us walk off that wonderful, calorie-packed cafeteria food we live off of. Lately, the weather has been nice enough that it is not that big of a hassle for those who enjoy the extra walk, but when the first rainstorm comes, every student headed to the great lawn will be muttering under their breath. Perhaps the reason all freshmen orientation groups received umbrellas at orientation was to prepare for the inclement weather they would have to endure to get to class when taking the long way.

The University has stated that the stairs should be complete by September 21. Hopefully this will pan out, so students can avoid taking the extra-long route across campus in the cold weather.

It is sure to say that the whole resident community will give a great sigh of relief once the stairs are reopened and they can sleep in those extra ten minutes.