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The brick walkway around campus at the 51��Ƶ at Lafayette will see some repairs in the coming weeks.

Some of the brick pavers in the Walk of Honor have come unglued or broken because of construction on campus in recent months. The Walk lists more than 80,000 names of UL Lafayette graduates and lies beneath the covered walkways surrounding the Quadrangle.

Bill Crist, director of the university’s Physical Plant, said broken pavers will be replaced and more landscaping will be added along the edges of the walkway.

“ A lot of damage occurs when lawnmowers are used along the edge of the walks, a problem that we plan to solve by adding landscaping along the edge of all walks,” he explained. “Vehicular traffic also caused additional damage. This occurred mostly during the construction of Moody Hall and renovations to F.G. Mouton Hall.”

Crist noted that most damage is with the brick pavers spanning over expansion joints in the concrete walks. He is working with contractors to correct the problem.

“ I have met with the paver contractor and we plan to install rubber expansion joints to align with the ones in the concrete sidewalks below,” he said.

The work is expected to start within the next six weeks and should be completed a few weeks afterwards.

“ The Walk of Honor is a tremendous reminder of our graduates’ hard work and their contribution to higher education,” said Dan Hare, UL Lafayette Alumni Association director. “It’s our way of acknowledging this and keeping a connection with our alumni.”

The Walk of Honor began with an idea from 1987 Alumni Association President Kenneth Ardoin. A groundbreaking occurred in 1991.

Between 1987 and 2000 key alumni leaders who helped the Walk progress were volunteers Jim Doyle and Robert Trahan. Only through the generous contributions of thousands of alumni, students and friends of the university was the Walk of Honor able to be brought current to the year 1999 during the university’s Centennial Celebration.

The class years 1903 through 1997 were funded strictly through donations and private sources. Beginning with the Class of 1998, students assessed themselves a brick fee as part of their graduation requirements. This action secured the future of the Walk of Honor.

“ Because students play such an important role in the future of the Walk, ideally the Association's intent is to have each class’ bricks installed within the following calendar year,” said Hare. Because of recent campus construction projects, some delays have occurred.

The classes of 1903 through 1988 lie under the primary covered archways that begin and end at Martin Hall. The classes of 1989 through 1999 lie under the covered walkways connecting Martin and Foster halls to Mouton Hall. The Walk continues with the Class of 1991 in the Quad. It will eventually wind its way through campus.

“ The Walk of Honor is an integral part of this campus,” said UL Lafayette President Ray Authement. “It’s a testament to the importance of higher education and it serves as a permanent reminder of that.”