Ever wonder how soon a class ends only to find there’s no clock on the wall?

No more.

As part of its summer improvements, Northwestern’s Facilities Management department placed clocks in every classroom on the Evanston Campus.

Other changes carried out during the students’ break include additional classroom modernizations and needed repairs.

Sewer repair in front of Norris University Center was the major project for the summer, according to Steve Sowa, associate director of facilities management operations.

Workers had to move quickly to completely tear up Campus Drive to fix the pipes and repair the road by the time new students arrived on Sept. 14.

“We always make a strong push to make (the projects) complete before students get back,” Sowa said.

Sowa’s crews also laid new carpeting inside classrooms in the Technological Institute, and rooms in Harris, Kresge and Frances Searle halls were given appropriate seating numbers, according to the needs of academic departments.

“The best furniture for the classroom varies depending on the department,” said Jessica Abrams, a construction project manager for Facilities Management.

Abrams said foreign language professors prefer the tablet arm chairs because they are more mobile and allow students to cluster into smaller groups.

History professors generally preferred more stationary tables and chairs, Abrams added.

Work on the large lecture room in Fisk Hall, room 217, was delayed due to summer classes, but all furniture should be installed by the time classes begin this week, Abrams said.

New features include a digital projector and ergonomic seats with flexible backs that rise slightly when occupied.

Crews are still working on wiring for the projector and installing a wheelchair lift to the stage.

Select rooms in Kresge, Harris, Frances Searle and University halls, as well as Tech, were upgraded to “smart” classrooms, allowing professors to integrate video, music and the Internet into lectures.

New fire alarm sprinklers were installed in rooms in Bobb, McCulloch and Chapin halls and the International Studies Residential College.

The largest project within university housing was the installation of 220 new air conditioning units in Foster-Walker Complex.

“We have our own thermostat,” said Mera Geis, a McCormick sophomore who lives in Plex. “It’s so nice.”

Residents can regulate the temperature between 80 and 55 degrees and choose low or high air flow.

Even though Facilities Management tries to complete major projects during the summer, the department will install fuel oil tanks in the area behind Swift Hall during Fall Quarter.

These extra tanks will provide a secondary fuel source if the university loses natural gas. The fuel is used to run boilers which produce steam for the heating system and hot water.

Tanks and cranes will be moving in and out of the area, but “we will try to keep the area safe for students,” Sowa said.

Abrams adds that if students find problems with a classroom, they should e-mail Facilities Management at [email protected].

In a marked change from previous years, the Ford Engineering Design Center is the only academic building under construction on the Evanston Campus this fall.

Reach Alexis Crawford at [email protected].