The information and fellowship shared among members of the Society of Trustees ensures that even though these men and women are no longer on the Board of Trustees they still care about Jacksonville University.

The Monday prior to spring break, the Society of Trustees met at the Marine Science Research Institute for their annual gathering for lunch on the Jacksonville University grounds.

The Society of Trustees is an organization comprised of individuals who previously served as trustees of JU. There are over 50 former trustees who are living and involved with the society, however only 10 were able to make the Monday meeting. Mayor Alvin Brown was included among the 10; he served on the board from 2000 until 2006. The society has been around for four years now.

“The purpose of the meeting is to thank the former trustees for all they have done for our university and to recognize them for dedicating so much of their time and talent to JU,” said Jacksonville University President Kerry Romesburg, Ph.D.

The principal activity at the meeting is a report from the president on the “State of the University.”  This is an update on developments, projects and issues.  It is a time to highlight some of the new programs, student and faculty achievements, and plans for the future.

The occurrences that took place during this event were greetings and thanks from the chairman of the Board of Trustees and the “State of the University” report from President Romesburg on what has happened during the last year. While there is socialization among friends, the updates are the primary focus of the meetings. Each trustee has spent years helping to build the university.

“It’s very informal and a way to keep old friends of the university engaged with us,” said Derek Hall, Ph.D., vice president for university relations and external affairs.

This year the former trustees were informed on facility updates, accreditation news, athletic highlights, new academic programs and fundraising successes.

The meeting also gave the former trustees an opportunity to visit the campus and meet with some current trustees as well as the JU executive staff.

The meetings are held at various sites around the campus.  In this way, the former trustees are introduced to some of the newer facilities which they may not have seen.

“I love the Society of Trustees meetings,” said Romesburg. “It gives us a chance to revisit history. It gives me a chance to talk with people who had the vision of what JU could become and to hear about how things developed and changed over the years. It really is a fun meeting.”

Individuals are appointed to the Board of Trustees for three-year terms, and there are currently 36 members of the board.  The board now has term limits, and after three three-year terms an individual cycles off the board.  Term limits were adopted six years ago, previous to that there were some trustees who served for more than 20 years.

Photo by Grace Singer

Bi-Lo has come to Jacksonville in the form of Winn-Dixie. Winn-Dixie, the well known and somewhat beloved southern supermarket chain, has been bought out for $560 million by Bi-Lo, a supermarket chain from Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.

As a stand alone company, Winn-Dixie ran quite a lucrative business. Located throughout Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, the company operated 480 stores and 380 pharmacies and provided 46,000 people with jobs. After the merger with Bi-Lo the chain will have a total of 690 stores across eight states and employ 63,000 people.

The effect the company’s growth will have on its customers and the customers’ concerns regarding these changes are contemplated by students. JU freshmen marine science majors Hannah Smith and Lauren Wilson seem nonplussed by this course of action.

“We don’t really care. I mean, we’re from up north. We don’t have Winn-Dixies,” Smith said in agreement with Wilson.

Nonetheless, this change has the potential to affect many thousands of people. Ben Haskew, president of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, claims that the change should be “seamless” to the customers. Neither of the two chains are changing their store names and none of the stores are closing down, so the widespread patronage of the store should be largely unaffected.

Randall Onstead, president and CEO of Bi-Lo Holding, claims that no Winn-Dixie employees will be replaced by Bi-Lo employees. This statement appears to be somewhat contradicted by the comment of a current Winn-Dixie employee who says that most of the corporate officers have already been replaced. It was unclear if this meant replaced by Bi-Lo employees or if new employees were brought in altogether. Either way it is causing a bit of confusion.

“It won’t affect us at the store level for a bit, but the corporate structure is all jumbled already,” said Winn-Dixie dairy associate Cody McGee.

Moving with Bi-Lo are one hundred new jobs and $93 million in capital expenditures. These expenditures will pay for upgrading technological infrastructure and making changes to the distribution centers. The state of Florida is contributing $1.04 million for training new and existing employees and $3.6 million for the relocation and new equipment costs.

Randall Onstead said that the reason for moving from South Carolina to Florida was for a more central location to the approximate 690 stores. Jacksonville is somewhat of an epicenter of the Winn-Dixie and Bi-Lo franchise. Plus, Florida’s lack of income tax and fewer regulations made up for the fact that South Carolina put more money out on the table.

All in all, most people probably will not feel or even see the effects of this move. Seamless change is what they are aiming for, and if most people hold the same opinion as Wilson and Smith, then seamless change is likely to be the outcome.

The concept of the nation’s economy is one shrouded in myths and frustrations. The daily media talks from all sides, chattering of statistics, accusations and tentative political promises. The nation hears that it is bad. It feels the weight on its minds, wallets and time clocks.

However, after all the bickering is said and done, those who live and interact within this economy are left to untangle the mish-mash of information. Questions often remain on where the nation really stands and, most importantly, onto what side of the spectrum it is leaning.

This realm of questions holds a particular weight of importance as graduation edges closer. For students about to emerge into the workforce as well as those soon to follow, it is important to know what to expect beyond university gates.

“The U.S. economy is recovering from its most severe economic decline since the Great Depression,” said John Buck, Ph.D., professor of economics. “This Great Recession, as it is sometimes called, began in 2007 under President Bush and ended in late 2009. It will take several more years before we return to economic conditions similar to those before the downturn.”

After the recent recession met its end in late 2009, positive economic growth began to reemerge. Growth averaged 3 percent in 2010 and 1.7 percent in 2011.

“It’s slowly recovering but there are still some hurdles that the economy has to go over,” said Carol Dole, Ph.D., associate professor of economics.  “We see unemployment falling and continue to see real GDP grow, but slowly. We seem to be on a path of growth.”

Continuation down this pathway will rely on reduction of debt and deficit problems in the fiscal house as well as increases in investment and capital. This is an inherently difficult situation.  In a less than ideal economic situation, business is hesitant to risk money on expansion. However, the economy relies on this to recover.

This situation has had a noticeably frustrating impact.

“It’s made it extremely difficult to get a job,” said sophomore David Bilbray. “I have been trying for the past two years and haven’t had very many promising opportunities.”

While the future is uncertain, according to forecasts by the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan government agency of professional economists, the employment situation will improve slowly over the next four years.  Employment conditions are not expected to return to their pre-recession state until approximately 2016.

However, when it comes to encouraging recovery and increases in job opportunities, one of the most common misconceptions is the notion that the government can create them.

“The government has been laying people off because they can’t afford it,” Dole said. “They may be able to create the environment for economic growth but they can’t create these jobs.”

She was in no way alone in this notion.

“People should not assume that politicians understand economics,” Buck said. “Many of the proposals put forth by candidates seem to be based on wishful thinking rather than economic realities. They promise painless economic prosperity, (e.g., no tax increases or no reductions in government benefits), in the same way that late-night infomercials promise you can look like the models in their ads if you just buy their products.”

Buck elaborated on this.

“For example, federal government revenues as a percentage of the size of the economy are below historical norms and expenditures are above normal. Some U.S. citizens need to pay more taxes and some residents need to receive fewer government services. Conservatives extremists refuse to consider tax increases and liberal extremists will not allow reforms of entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare.”

With this said, the question remains on how students should prepare themselves for success within the environment they are soon to enter.

“They should expect a very rough job market,” Dole said. “We are trying to encourage students to get internships, get experience and make contacts. It is important to get your foot in the door. Communication skills are important, and critical thinking skills are important.”

With emerging college students making up a large section of the currently unemployed, this competitive edge is heavily emphasized.

“Employers want new college graduates to be able to think critically, to communicate effectively, to be creative, and to work well in a collaborative environment,” Buck said. “If students want an edge in the upcoming job market, they should seek courses and professors that challenge them to improve in these areas.”

Some ways that students can improve their communication skills are to take advantage of their resources such as the Jacksonville University Writing Center and courses which focus special attention on constructing papers.

As the clock ticks and the upcoming years unfold, it seems that it will be an uphill, but promising, battle for both the economy and those stepping out to work within it.

Canadian Province Legalizes Brothels
In a controversial decision, Ontario’s top court legalized brothels on March 26, according to a CNN article. A panel of five judges argued that Canadian laws prohibiting prostitution unfairly discriminated against the occupation and put prostitutes at risk by pushing the industry underground. The legalization is intended to create safer working environments for those in the industry.  However, while brothels are now permitted indoors, solicitation of customers on the streets remains banned due to the court ruling this “a reasonable limit on the right to freedom of expression.”

Backlash against Employer demands for Facebook Passwords
Two U.S. senators are attempting to prompt investigations on whether employers asking for Facebook passwords during job interviews are in violation of federal privacy laws, according to an Associated Press article. In response to the recent trend of public and private agencies around the country asking job seekers for their social media credentials,  New York’s Charles Schumer and Connecticut’s Richard Blumenthal are calling on the Justice Department and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to look into the practice’s legality.  On Friday, Facebook threatened legal action against the practice as it violates the company’s policy against password sharing. Viewing of job applicant’s profiles also opens up windows for discrimination since information protected under the federal employment law, such as race, gender, age and religion, is displayed on Facebook.

SAT and ACT Tighten Rules in Response to Cheating
After uncovering a cheating scandal involving dozens of high school students, the SAT and ACT college entrance exams will begin requiring photographic identification cards from students, according to a New York Times article. In response to students using fake IDs to take the tests for other students in exchange for money, the testing services are also enacting a number of other changes.  Photographs will be uploaded when students apply and checked when they arrive at the testing center. There is also talk about sending photos as an attachment to their scores when they are sent to colleges but this is under debate due to possibility for discrimination.

National Gas Prices Kick it up Again
Continuing along the not-so-recent trend, the national average gas prices saw another increase. As of March 27, the national average for regular gasoline reached $3.898 a gallon, according to AAA.  This national price increased 5 cents from the previous week’s cost of $3.846 a gallon and the previous year’s cost of $3.584 a gallon. The current average gasoline price for Florida reached $3.911 per gallon.

State Purchases Homes and Businesses For I-95 Project
The state of Florida has begun buying Jacksonville homes and businesses in order to accommodate a $150 million road widening and bridge project, according to an article in the Florida Times Union. This project will construct a bridge spanning Hendricks Avenue, Kings Avenue and Montana Avenue. In order to complete the project the state will need to acquire 151 properties and has budgeted $60 million for its completion.  Construction is anticipated to start in January and span three years. So far one home has been purchased along 1-95 and one business, an auto repair shop, is in negotiations to be potentially bought.

Spanning from the shore where tenderly maintained grass caresses the St. Johns to the abrupt stop of the greenery behind the wrought iron gates that sever academia from the street, a region nicknamed “the woods” curls around this skirt of the north end of Jacksonville University.

“The woods” is 60 acres of mostly undeveloped land (aside from the Alumni House and three abandoned homes that have been enveloped by the wild) that had been under the eyes of JU alumnus Gregory Nelson and the capital of Tallahassee up until more than two weeks ago.

Derek Hall, Ph.D., vice president for university and external affairs, helped illuminate the situation that unfurled then frayed two weeks ago. It was the intention of Nelson, the owner of an investment firm known as the Nelson Holding Company, to place a nursing home in proximity to Jacksonville University. Nelson’s aim was for the JU School of Nursing to collaborate with the nursing home if Tallahassee approved the appropriate licensure.

Though the university trustees remained neutral throughout the process of the plan, students aware of the plan were in no way troubled by the notion of a physically close, university-affiliated, possibly hybrid medical facility.

“I think having a closer facility to do clinicals is a great idea especially for the students just starting out,” said junior Brian Giles.

In accordance to Florida law in order for a nursing home to be built, a company must prove that there is a need for the operation, or it must buy an older facility and rebuild under that license. This is Florida’s decade standing moratorium on nursing homes. Nelson attempted to go a third route – building with the intention of working with an academic institution.

According to the Florida Times Union, a bill with Nelson’s pilot plan was passed, but it’s future with JU remains unclear.

Photo courtesy of Phillip Milano

Appreciation for a life well-lived rather than rage over the senseless act that cut it short prevails in the hearts of Jacksonville University employees and students as they reflect on the recent death of Dale Regan, head of school at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville.

“Dale Regan was the most dedicated woman to ESJ that I have ever had the pleasure to know and love,” said sophomore Kacee Gouin, who attended Episcopal throughout her middle and high school years. Her brother is currently a junior at the Episcopal.

“Going forward, I pray that the school keeps on with the legacy that Dale has started, making ripple effects in the community around them as she did all the days of her life,” said Gouin.

Regan, 63, was shot in her office on March 6. The assailant, 28-year-old Shane Schumerth, was a Spanish teacher whose employment had been terminated by the school earlier that day. Recently-released 911 dispatches indicate that Schumerth entered Regan’s office carrying a guitar case with an AK-47 gun concealed inside. He fired at Regan as many as 10 times and then killed himself.

Photo courtesy of Phillip Milano

JU Dean of Students Bryan Coker, Ph.D., called the murder-suicide a “horrific tragedy” in a general email sent the following Thursday. On March 9, before the Episcopal School hosted an open memorial for Regan, JU students and faculty gathered outside of Nellie’s in order to observe a brief moment of reflection.

“Our hearts just go out to Episcopal,” Coker said. “We [at JU] definitely have a lot of Episcopal connections.”

Camilya Clark, a junior, said that while she didn’t personally know anyone from the Episcopal community, she wanted to attend the moment of reflection in order to show her support. The tragedy had quickly become a topic for discussion in her elementary education classes.

“We talked about the teacher’s role in emergencies in the classroom and making sure that we remain under control so that the students will remain calm,” said Clark. “That is a lot for anyone to do and I know that the teachers really had to go through a lot to control their emotions through the situation. I also felt sympathy for the students, administrators, family of the principal and others involved.”

Katie Counihan, an office associate in the Student Solutions Center, said that she has noticed an outpouring of concern from JU students, including those who otherwise have no ties to Episcopal.

“There’s a sense of sensitivity and compassion, even if they’re not affected personally,” Counihan said.

Coker, who spoke at the moment of reflection on Friday, described the shock that has been reverberating throughout the entire Jacksonville community.

“You don’t expect that where you go to learn is going to be a place of violence,” he said. “You don’t expect something like this to happen in an educational institution, a place of hopes and dreams.”

Also speaking at the moment of reflection was Kristin Alberts, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and the director of JU’s counseling center. Alberts briefly visited the Episcopal School on the day of the shooting, returning throughout the week in order to provide support.

“We have offered for this week for any faculty or staff member who would like to, to come to the JU counseling center and seek additional support,” she said.

At JU, Episcopal faculty members and students on spring break could find a welcoming space to talk about their grief, Alberts said.

“It can be hard to talk to others who are going through the same difficult time,” she said. “It’s good to have a neutral place to come.”

Coker also recognized that in times of crisis “it helps to have people from the outside in to look at everything.”

“We have spoken to some of the Board of Trustees members to let them know we’re here to help them move forward,” he said.

To that end, counselors from JU said that they planned to be at the Episcopal School upon its reopening on March 26, although they were not sure what their exact role would be.

Plans were also made to present the school with another sign of the university’s ongoing concern — a large, yellow banner cluttered with colorful signatures and the words, “Keeping you in our thoughts and prayers. Much love, JU.”

“I cannot wait until the students at Episcopal come back from spring break seeing a banner from JU,” said Gouin. “[I’m] hoping that it makes the transition back to school after this tragedy at least a little more bearable.”

As he signed the banner, campus minister Sean Froehling said that “two big things” occurred to him when he first heard about the incident.

“One is just the great reminder of how dark the human soul can be, how desperate,” he said, “and at the same time, the hope that I know in God.”

Froehling signed the banner, “Praying that God gives you comfort as you grieve. Sean F.”

Steven Montesinos, counselor and outreach coordinator, has been to Episcopal several times in order to help people at the school cope with their grief. He wants JU students to know that the counseling center, located on the side of the Sam R. Marks chapel, is also open to them during this difficult time.

“The counseling center is here to help if they have any concerns or any personal issues they feel are getting in the way of being a student,” Montesinos said.

Alberts also acknowledged that news of the Episcopal tragedy is likely to have far-reaching effects.

“Events like this, even if we weren’t personally affected, can trigger our own past experiences, whether that be trauma or loss,” she said. “We’re certainly available to help faculty and staff at JU.”

Amidst the confusion of shock and grief, there is a need for encouragement and understanding on all sides.

“Anytime anyone grieves, they just need to be honest,” said Froehling. “Both give and receive support, and there’s healing.”

Photo by Andrea Zadrozny

Down by the northward sweeping current of the great St. Johns, they sit snuggled into the mud like large sleeping toads. The doors that once slipped closed as smooth as a sigh after a long day’s work now remain ajar as gaping mouths, waiting for a reprieve that will never come.  Their eyes are shattered and many are boarded shut; their bearded lawns have grown long, and the vines of the wild are pulling their walls and steps further into disrepair. These houses, now wasting away in the winds by the river bearing the scars and tattoos of urban art, are abandoned but not forgotten.

Old houses tell stories to the willing hear; they capture time then crumble asunder returning to the foundations, dreams and dust from which they were born. Dr. Derek Hall, Vice President for University Relations and External Affairs, spoke of the vacant houses that rest on the Jacksonville University’s campus, as well as the ones that technically do not.

The abandoned houses, tucked in the corner of the woods near the Ashley Sports Complex and the Village Apartments, are a reminder of Jacksonville University’s recent past. Though they are no longer owned by the university, they once served as staff houses. A few university presidents’ once lived in those houses. This is a stark contrast to their current state in which they have been worn to a point where they would be too expensive to repair. In total, the houses have been vacant for more than eight years.

“I wouldn’t take my kids there,” said sophomore Stephen Cowan, “but it’s a great place for a first date.”

Eight years of vacancy, the absence of loving hands, the presence of rough weather and damage by trespassers have taken their toll on the three houses by the river. The dock that reaches behind them has all but fallen apart, most of the windows no longer hold their glass, and the ceilings have caved in many places.

“I don’t know a lot about them. I did a tour of them a few years ago,” said senior Devon Dowell. “They’re creepy.”

About seven years ago, the land that spans beneath these houses and the Alumni House was sold to a company called the Principle Financial Group,  an investment firm, when the economy was beginning to turn turbulent. Since then, the company has made some offers to sell the land back to the university, but due to disagreements in pricing the land is still held by Principal Financial. The Alumni House is leased to the University for a greatly reduced price, negotiated at about one-third of what the company was asking for. It is roughly $1,000 a month to rent the 1 million dollar home.

The vacant River House located alongside the Wurn Pool has a story all of its own. Though it was once a home for a University President, most recently the building hosted the offices of the School of Marine Science. However with the opening of the marine science building, the River House’s walls have not been brushed with life or sound.  Currently there are two requests for use of the building. The first proposal, to make the River House a student hangout, has been presented on several occasions by the student organization JUSA.

The second proposal has been put forth by the English as a Second Language Program to use the building for the classes beginning in the fall. If the building is used as a place where students could gather, additions such as a deck and a back picnic area for students may be added. Both propositions show promise for positive additions to Jacksonville University, so the question is becoming whether or not both entities can co-exist effectively in the same building.

The final vacancy Dr. Hall spoke of was the Delius House that sits mounted across from Sam Mark’s Chapel on Dolphin Drive. This was the home of English composer Frederick Delius for a brief time in 1884-1885 while he lived at Solano Grove, an orange grove that hugged the St. John’s River. The House was donated by the Delius Society which raised money to preserve the house and asked if Jacksonville University would host their historic piece.

“Maybe they should do something about this one [the Delius House],” said freshman Myranda Barrera, “because whenever you drive by there all you see are raccoons and cats.”

According to Dr. Hall, though the home is structurally uninhabitable in the sense that it lacks plumbing and electricity, it is a historic building that helps tie Jacksonville University to the community. The house will continue to reside on campus as a monument. It has recently been repainted and has had holes in its roof that resulted from weathering under the power of Florida storms repaired.

To date, the vacant houses on campus add color, history, curiosity and hope for the positive evolution of the Jacksonville University campus. As for those that the university does not own, they are a reminder of the power of nature, money and the pressure of the recent past.

Molded indiscriminately in the clay of human experience, history and change occur by accident more often than not. Starting on Sept. 17, 2011, a movement called Occupy Wall Street attempted to effect great change by standing up against large corporations, the ultra-wealthy “1 percent” and the behavior on Wall Street that protesters viewed as entities who played a role in the corruption of the democratic process of the United States. The notion rippled from Liberty Square and spread over the course of a few months to more than 100 cities across the country and about 1,500 cities globally, according to Occupywallst.org.  Lately however, the headline coverage of the streets has been relatively still and silent. The silence of the media has caused the public to wonder what happened to the occupy movement and what is currently going on.

“Occupy Wall Street seems to be an idea that has multiple, I would say founding ideas, but there’s no unifying call unlike some of the other movements of the past that have been successful, like voters rights and equal rights, other than its obvious goal to draw attention to the disparity of economic wealth,” said senior Charles Francis. “I’m not clear on what their end goal is, what they’re trying to achieve, other than to draw attention to the disparity. I think it would help if they had a national figure to articulate their goals in a way that is easily understood by the multitude.”

A little bit of history and the idea of the project helps to understand to movement and where it is today. Occupy Wall Street, according to the official nycga.org, is a leaderless, autonomous movement with a focus on solidarity and utilization of the right to peacefully assemble made up of several groups known as the NYC General Assembly that aim to combat “the crisis of our times.”  The movement states that they represent the 99 percent of the population that has been subjected to social injustice, and a complete list of their grievances, though they state it is not all inclusive, can be found on NYCGA.org.

Stephen Baker, Ph.D., department coordinator for and professor of political science, outlined the beginning and current status of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Dr. Baker stated that the movement resulted from frustration because of the perception of a growing divide between the wealthy and the average citizen and the perception that the average citizen has lost control over the forces that control his or her life.

“People used to say it was between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots,’” said Dr. Baker. “Now they feel it’s between the ‘have-alls’ and the ‘have-nots.’”

He also noted that Occupy Wall Street was an in your face presence to show this discontent. Using the media as their medium, the occupiers were able to make their experience a shared experience and attract the attention of empathizers and supporters of their cause. The media was a perfect outlet for the movement and people in general to express what changes they wanted due to the pride the demonstrators exhibit in the fact that they are a leaderless group using the principles of democracy to guide them. However, the heavy reliance on the media and being essentially leaderless had its challenges that are being currently experienced by the group.

Since the movement is leaderless, though they do have individuals who tend to be spokespeople for the group, organization and unity of specific goals is a challenge. For instance, when meetings are run, everyone can speak, but without a leader, this can become disorganized.

“The main thing that unites them is wanting to be heard,” said Dr. Baker, “There’s a sense that they have no voice in what’s going on.”

Also, because the media is dynamic in nature, it requires change in order to keep the attention of its audience. The occupy movement definitely got people talking; the initial impact was big, but the nature of the Occupy Wall Street movement as a story was difficult to sustain. In order to keep in the spotlight of the media, they would have to become more extreme. Though occupiers still stand and events are still held, the movement does not have the momentum that it had in the beginning.

“For a movement like that, everyone makes personal sacrifices,” said Associate Professor of Political Science Steven D. MacIsaac, Ph.D. “It’s waning of natural causes.”

Dr. Baker notes that next time something happens that favors the well off, the momentum will probably be reactivate. He also believes that Occupy Wall Street has had an effect in the sense that political leaders will be more sensitive and will be more wary of actions that may displease potential supporters of the movement. Whether this effect will be lasting is yet to be known because it is measured in terms of what does not happen, like passing policies that favor the wealthy.

With the upcoming elections, there may be more of a demand to be heard since political groups will be battling it out for positions. During this time, the people can speak out for what they want and make demands of their representatives. Hopefully, because of the new-found sensitivity to the perceived disparities, their demands will not fall upon deaf ears as it has sometimes felt in the past.

Photo by Grace Singer

Amidst twisting stretches of interstates, intersections, medians and merge lanes, the city of Jacksonville seems to be one scattered in orange. Neon traffic cones, warning signs and flashing lights appear to have incorporated themselves as staples in the Jacksonville cultural landscape in recent years.

This recent influx of road construction projects has had a notable impact on travelers moving in and out the of Arlington area. Construction stretches out in a web like manner from the area, bearing down on the hearts, minds and gas tanks of commuter students and faculty alike.

“It’s slowed it down a lot and going anywhere after 7 p.m. is a hassle,” said sophomore commuter student David Bilbray.

There are approximately 27 road work projects under current construction in the Jacksonville area, according to a database on northfloridaroads.com.

Some of the closest construction areas to the campus are those impacting Merrill Road, Ft. Caroline Road and State Road 9A.  One construction area in particular of Ft. Caroline Road, part of the Better Jacksonville Plan, has been underway since late 2009 and will continue for an undetermined time past its projected end date of April 2012, according to an article in The Florida Times Union.  The road will be receiving updates such as upgraded drainage, lights, sidewalks and bike paths. Additionally, west of 9A , the road will be expanded from two lanes to three with a center turn lane.

“Despite a now pleasant and quick commute for the past month, the two or more years of construction seemed obnoxiously intrusive and slow for a 300 yard stretch of asphalt,” said sophomore commuter William MacIssac. “I commute from Arlington, just down the road. Pre-construction it took about ten minutes, during construction it took twenty minutes and now, post-construction, it takes me ten minutes again. It didn’t even ameliorate my commuting experience that much in the long run, but I live just a few miles away.”

For those headed a farther distance, construction still plays a role in many people’s commutes. A structural repair and repainting project on the Mathews Bridge is currently leading to nightly detours which impact those who travel west from the school. For those headed southeast, there is construction on Southside Boulevard. Traveling northeast, many commuters encounter construction on the Dames Point Bridge.

“When they were doing the Dames Point Bridge it added anywhere from 10-20 minutes to my daily commute,” said freshman commuter Eric Byrd. “Without the delays it would take me 40-45 minutes. You’re used to it in Jacksonville. It happens all the time. I’m a commuter; I have to commute, so I just deal.”

This is only one of a number of projects affecting SR-9A, others include resurfacing the pavement between Monument to St. Johns Bluff and installing an Intelligent Transportation System communication from Atlantic Blvd to I-95 North, according to records on the Florida Department of Transportation website.

Even further on down the roads, construction is also a notable occurrence on the Jacksonville portion of interstate roads I-10, I-95 and I-295, according to the FDOT website.

While the construction lining city roads inevitably leads to some honked horns, worn pedals and pulled hair, it is a necessary evil for the city. The quality of the infrastructure must be maintained and traffic patterns must be adapted for the safety of the changing populations.

In the meantime, the best that commuters can do is take a deep breath, let out a sigh and proceed with caution.