Though the Rev. Bernard Knoth, S.J., university president, said Biever Hall is 30 percent complete and on time for its August opening, renovations have not been without problems. Construction surprises and inaccurate price estimates have kept Residential Life on its toes. The big shocker came with the price tag. It became obvious toward the end of the new dorm's construction that the contractor's cost estimate was sharply amiss. The university is still searching for ways to make up the difference, in particular waiting for a major donor for whom to name the new residence hall.
Timing is everything in construction.
Over the four years of the project, dorm-building has become a popular business. Several universities, including Loyola, Xavier, Tulane and Dillard, have started renovating or ripping down old residence halls they built about 30 years ago. As each university takes the plunge, the others must build in order to compete, Reed said. As most local colleges got into the act, labor costs went up. Some other pitfalls were harder to explain.