Construction delays are a daily occurrence on Appalachian State University’s campus. Contractors are asking for project extensions and being charged late fees for most projects due to the “harsh Boone weather.”
    Though contractors factor in extra time for winter weather and large downpours, they just don’t seem to have enough time to finish the jobs.
    Amidst the spin and confusion lies another problem: Construction site vandalism.
    A rising trend has come with the increasing amount of construction on campus. Some students and non-students visit fenced off construction areas with one thing on their minds: “let’s smash something,” while others just want to play around.
    Sure, it may seem like fun at the time. What else is there to do in Boone, anyway?
    Actually, there is plenty to do other than endangering the lives of yourself and others.
    Playing with construction equipment is dangerous. Information such as this should be common knowledge, especially for educated college students.
    Last semester construction site visitors illegally played with construction equipment and tools, sometimes to the point of causing damage and therefore needing repair.
    When equipment and construction needs unexpected repairs, unanticipated delays almost inevitably result.
    With these delays can come extra fees and fines. In other words, vandalism can create extra costs.
    So what have we gained from construction site vandalism so far? Extra costs and project delays.
    This semester the sites have seen larger cases of vandalism such as the most recent incident at the Chiller Plant site. Perpetrators destroyed many objects on the site, including a metal pipe, temporary power lines, ground fault receptacles and a scissor lift.
    Breaking into fenced construction areas not only poses a risk to your own life, but playing with large equipment that you probably do not have a license to operate could endanger others as well.
    Though Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets strict guidelines for construction zones all over the country, it doesn’t mean everything is safe all of the time, especially to inexperienced intruders.
    There are substantial reasons certain construction areas are closed to traffic or fenced in.
    Whether you like it or not, construction will be a large part of our campus for at least the next seven years. It is a price we pay for expansion and beautification of our campus.
    Don’t take your anger out on the construction companies and their equipment. Just as students before us endured construction for buildings we enjoy now (such as Plemmons Student Union and the Quinn Center), we must cope with construction disparities so that those who follow us can reap the benefits of an up-to-date campus.