The Red and Black

Issue date: 7/2/09 Section: Opinions

The best reaction

The University has always held a responsibility to students who park in the decks on campus. And with two new decks, the University will be liable for even more people and property come the fall semester.

Given this, it seems odd that the company responsible for construction had a parking deck it built collapse on June 29 in Atlanta. Of course, the University Real Estate Foundation - the group that chose Hardin Construction Company - had no way of anticipating this. The foundation selected Hardin in December 2007 and gave final approval of construction this past January.

Yet in April, when the Board of Regents approved ground leases and rental agreements, Hardin had already been involved in collapse.

Hardin was recently fined for its part in the collapse of a bridge it helped construct at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

In light of the most recent collapse, Hardin is hiring a third-party engineer to come and inspect the decks under construction. The eight other decks already on campus will be checked out as well - all to ensure the safety of students and their possessions.

Though the editorial board believes the correct response to the incident is being taken, we question why Hardin was granted the job when a walkway they had been partially responsible for had already collapsed, killing one and injuring others.

It strikes us as convenient that the chairman of Hardin - Brantley Barrow - was added to the Alumni Board of Directors of the Terry College of Business. The president of the University Real Estate Foundation, Eric Orbock, stated Barrow's appointment had nothing to do with the selection process for Hardin, yet they were still kept under contract after the December collapse.

Whatever the reason, Hardin has the job and it seems it is doing everything they can to prevent any structural flaws from compromising the integrity of the decks - and safety of its occupants.

We hope the University is keeping their integrity intact as well.

-Megan Otto for the editorial board.

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