A new change to Missouri Southern’s campus is set to send faculty and staff in new directions.

Bob Harrington, director of the physical plant, has ordered temporary barricades for use on the northern entrances to the parking lot on east side of Webster Hall.

“What we’re looking at doing is closing the two parking lot entrances on lot 41, because we don’t want people to try to make left turns with the pedestrian barrier,” Harrington said.

Harrington plans to block the entrances with the temporary barricades and keep them in place until arrangements can be made to permanently close access to the street at those points.

Critics of the idea say closing the entrances will force some members of faculty and staff to cut through and circle campus to enter and exit the parking lot and could potentially increase area traffic.

Sam Claussen, associate professor of theater, thinks alternative measures should be taken instead of closing the entrances. He believes the design of the roads themselves is a significant part of the problem.

“My father-in-law, Walt Hayes, who has long since passed away, said it looked to him that roads were designed by sewer engineers,” Claussen said. “It looks like the sewer engineers have struck again.”

Claussen maintains the closing of the lot entrances is a sign of somebody not using his or her head.

“I understand safety-wise if they’re going to close it,” he said. “I think that the whole concrete barrier idea is an ill-conceived design and is going to cause a lot of traffic problems.”

Annetta St. Clair, associate professor of social science, also cited the concrete barriers as being more of a problem than a solution.

“The concrete barrier makes it harder to see students,” she said. “I understand why they were put up, especially from the south, but it’s harder to see them getting ready to step into my lane from the center.”

St. Clair believes the change may create disorder.

“Apparently, whoever made the decision has not studied the traffic patterns,” she said.

Harrington admits there will be complications at first, but thinks the end result of closing the entrances will be positive.

“I don’t think it’s a major inconvenience, it’s just a matter of retraining people on getting where they need to go,” Harrington said. “The inconvenience is minor when compared to the possibility of a serious accident.”

Dr. Terri Agee, vice president for business affairs, said the southern entrances will be widened to improve parking lot access following the closure of the northern entrances. She urges patience until the changes are made.

“The project is not complete, and I think that people will be happier with it when it is completed,” she said.