Student story: Keyboards clack while hammers clank at camp

By Emily VanSchmus

Ladders screech as they are dragged across the floor. Dry, gray dust covers the floor and fills the air with its unmistakable chalky smell. Drills whir as screws are placed.

Men with hardhats scoot around the students of the Flint Hills Publications Workshop.

For students, the construction workers at Kedzie Hall on the K-State campus have become part of the experience. While it may take a few extra minutes to get to class, students generally don’t mind weaving around the extra bodies.

“For the most part the workers have been pretty friendly, and I feel like I’ve tried to be very courteous to everyone,” said Megan Reed, a junior from Pittsburg High School. “They always say good morning to us.”

The men working in Kedzie Hall aren’t bothered by the student journalists either. Jason Glessner, a member of the construction crew, said that it “hasn’t really been a big deal. We work around them.” 

Glessner added that many of the students were exceptionally polite to the workers.

“They always say ‘excuse us’ and are apologetic about interrupting our work,” Glessner said.

However, for some students, the construction work can interrupt their camp activities.

“On the first day of camp, I got lost and I couldn’t go back to our room because they had moved a ladder in front of the door,” said Brittany Roberts, a senior from Wichita Northwest.

“I was trying to get interviews and it took me like 20 extra minutes to find where I was supposed to be going,” Reed chimed in.

Overall, camp has the feel of other years. Students still type their stories with the clacking of the keys. Soft music still plays in the background, inspiring new ideas. Only now, the pounding of a hammer bangs against a wall, corrupting that gentle feel of inspiration.

Emily VanSchmus is a junior at Free State High School and a student in the advanced writing class.