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Do We Really Need a Play-By-Play?
While
I understand that the growth and development of the new classroom building is
exciting for everyone in the Illinois Wesleyan (IWU) community, do we really
need a webcam play-by-play?
As
if watching the construction in person wasn’t exciting enough, visitors to the
IWU main page can click on a link which allows viewers to “watch
minute-by-minute progress on construction of the new main classroom building.”
The
webpage also says: “When workers are active between 7 a.m.-6 p.m., the webcam picture will
update every minute.” Meaning, the webcam only offers live updates
when the construction crews are in action. When they’re not busy at work,
however, the image remains frozen.
I’m
forced to wonder: Who is the university’s target audience? The obvious answer
is alumni and students no longer on campus. I say this because those who are on
campus are forced to endure the inconvenient and disruptive presence of the
construction site.
Now,
I doubt this is costing the university much in terms of funding, but I suspect
it has deducted some common cents from the administration’s account. Who has
time to sit and watch the construction equipment inch across the page every
minute or, better yet, watch the poor employee walk from the crane to the porta
potty and back?
The
minute by minute updates might have been a good idea at first but, the
university would be better off investing in quality photographs documenting the
development of the new building.
The
only time video should be used is during monumental moments such as the signing
of the final pillar (which occurred this past summer). If alumni are especially
invested in the development of the building, then a weekly photo update should
suffice.
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