Many construction projects have appeared both on and around campus this year. From the road construction in downtown Dayton, to the ongoing work that is being done to the Hangar, there seems to be a project every way that students look. Opinions on the situation are mixed.
On-campus construction
Wright State University, and the ecosystem surrounding it, are always changing, including the buildings. The most recent construction on-campus includes the Hangar renovation and the cosmetic changes, located in the tunnels, near the Union Market, at the entrance to the Student Union and more.
The Hangar patio renovation was announced towards the end of the 2025 Spring semester, with ground being broken shortly after. But it is not being done, and the continuous construction has left students with plenty of opinions over the process. A common topic of discussion in regards to the construction is parking; students are reporting that the situation has been made worse by the construction vehicles taking space.
Ellie Kuss-Shivler is a political science major at WSU, who says that they and their friends have had a significantly harder time finding parking since construction has begun.
“I have to leave 30 mins early for class to find parking when I only live less than 5 away,” Kuss-Shivler said. “As someone who technically commutes, I should be able to find parking.”
Kuss-Shivler explained that they feel like construction has exacerbated the already rough parking issue.
"The parking lot for Millet and the [Dunbar] Library, there is a huge chunk of potential parking that's all torn up. It's like this in multiple parking lots, where a chunk of parking is taken up," Kuss-Shivler explained. "A solution I would push is to make construction in the summer and limit the freshman ability to bring cars on campus."
Kyren Ramey is a social work major. He said that he has yet to get a Raider Pass due to lack of parking caused by the construction.
“[WSU] vehicles and construction vehicles need to park in the very back, or at least somewhere where no one is at,” Ramey said, “I have yet to get a Raider pass, but it’s hard scoring a spot when they got it occupied. [Rowdy Passes] are expensive, so I’m in between what I want to do.”
Construction on campus is a unique issue that WSU students are currently facing, but another unique construction problem is general construction in and around Dayton that may make it difficult for Raiders to get to school.
Off-campus construction
Not only is WSU home to thousands of on-campus students across the Dayton and Lake campuses, but there are just as many Raiders that are off-campus and commute to campus.
Recently, there have been multiple instances of road construction in the Dayton area. This has been putting a damper on commuter students' routes to school, making it so they have had to adapt.
“I usually take the highway to school, so I have no problem. But, once and a while, I take the street way and [there is] construction near my house in West Carrollton and in Downtown Dayton,” Ramey said. “I either make it directly on time or I’m a few minutes late.”
Downtown construction has also affected things like bus routes, as these services have to accommodate construction on the road.
“I live on campus, but I also take classes at Sinclair. My bus used to directly go from [WSU] to Sinclair,” said a student who asked to remain anonymous. “Now I have a whole other bus to catch if I want to make it in time for classes. The detour the city has set in place has not only made my commute longer, but now I have to pay over $4 rather than my $2-ish dollars for my way back. If RTA didn’t have a cap, I’d go broke.”
Construction can be a good and necessary thing when it comes to the improvement of infrastructure, but it can also impede on a student. It is important for students to keep an eye on their routes and determine if they will need extra time to get to school.
