WLU dropped the ball on its signs

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailA school’s campus reflects heavily upon the school itself. For visitors and students alike, when campus maintenance is poor, the school is typically held in lower regard. Wilfrid  Laurier University is no different and unfortunately, as of late, the university has struggled to maintain our campus at an acceptable level.

Signs around Laurier featuring the directory of departments and offices within buildings have been outdated and missing information for more than six months. The problem is two-fold: there is no money to fix the signs on an incremental basis, and there is a lack of knowledge when it comes to what signs need to be repaired or updated.

The physical resources department is in need of funds, but those funds can only do good if there is some way of keeping tabs on whether signs are accurate.  The physical resources department has made clear the high cost of altering signs and has also outlined a plan to install new, redesigned signage.

The new signs are somewhat of a solution to the problem as they will feature less information, which also happens to be permanent. For instance, the name of a building will not change so it’s the most cost effective way to ensure signs do not require frequent updates. However, it’s a lazy solution void of any creativity and also neglects the need for more detailed signs.

Financial constraints can be understood. If there is no money in the budget, then fine. But how do other universities maintain their campuses?

We are not talking about the buildings themselves, but the signs that explain what is inside them. Surely there is a practical and more cost effective way of doing this. If the school can’t figure out a way to get signs, it does not bode well for when real improvements need to be made to campus.

Leave a Reply