Quad to see ResNet by September

Preliminary electrical work will begin in January. Large-scale construction is set to begin May 12, after move-out. Installation of ResNet -- the University's fiber-optic residential communications system -- for the Quadrangle is on schedule and should be completed by September 1. Completing the installation will provide an additional 1,500 residents with a high speed ethernet connection to PennNet, access to a 55-channel cable television system and enhanced telephone service, according to Director of Academic Programs in Residence Chris Dennis. "Students will be able to get the Quad ambiance with modern technology," he said. Construction of new wiring pathways in the Quad is necessary to accommodate the installation in older buildings, he added. Preliminary basement work for the project is due to begin in January, Dennis said, noting that work will not start before 9 a.m. or take place during reading days and exams. Larger-scale construction will start May 12, after undergraduates move out. Because of the ResNet project, the May 10 undergraduate move-out date will be strictly enforced, except for students granted extensions because of graduation or other University-sponsored events, Dennis said. The construction will force Quad seniors who plan to stay on campus until graduation to relocate to the Ware College House, which was wired for ResNet in the summer of 1994. Other residents staying after May 10 will be moved to the high rises, Dennis said. Students currently living in Ware or the high rises who plan to remain on campus after the official May move-out date may be asked to change locations or accommodate Quad residents in their rooms. Additionally, there will be no early move-in before August 30 for Quad residents. "We are trying to give people as much advance notice as we can," Dennis said. "But that's as much as we can do. "The construction schedule is so tight, and we need to get so much done, that we have to begin as quickly as we can," he added. Dennis said it is essential to maximize summer construction to allow leeway for potential problems that may occur. "We hope construction will be straightforward," he said. "But whenever you are working with an old structure, things can surprise you. Planners have already mapped out the wiring pathways for the ResNet cables. "To the extent you can anticipate [problems], we have worked them out," Dennis said. Installation of ResNet in the Quad will complete the wiring of campus dormitories, a project that began in 1993.

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