No, the building is not going to fall down.

Driving by Griesedieck Hall’s south side, a crack can easily be spotted running the length of the 15th floor, now accompanied by scaffolding.

The crack, discovered over the summer, has resulted in the closure of the circular drive behind Griesedieck.

“It’s not a danger to occupants of the building. The danger is on the ground, in case of a brick falling,” said Kathleen Brady, vice president for facilities management and civic affairs.

“The crack is of the surface brick only and does not pose a structural problem at all,” she said. “It was caused by too few brick ties holding the surface bricks to the concrete structure.”

Work to repair the crack and remove the threat of falling bricks began Homecoming weekend and will continue for three months, depending on the weather.

According to Brady, the cost will be approximately $180,000 for the entire project.

With the closure of the circular drive behind Griesedieck, parking has become difficult along the sides of the drive.

“It can get really crowded back there now,” said Katie Nieman, sophomore. “There have been a few times I’ve had to maneuver around other cars to unload.”

Mark Magill, a freshman, added, “When you can’t turn around it causes a backup.”

Despite the difficulty of maneuvering, Leanna Skavlen, Griesedieck area coordinator, said she has not received any complaints.

Skavlen said that the greatest concern was during opening. “During opening we thought it would be a big problem, but it ended up going so smoothly that we’re considering closing the drive next opening.”

Now that work has finally begun on the crack, students seem to be more willing to accept any inconveniences.

“It didn’t seem like they were doing anything for a while,” said Nieman.