For years, people have endeavored to stay in shape by running around campus.

Without a real path, runners and joggers were cutting rough dirt trails in the sparse Abilene grass and trying to avoid getting hit by cars as they made their way around campus.

This spring, that will change. In November, construction began on the two-mile Walk/Jog Trail, paid for with funds from donors and the senior gifts of several graduating classes. This gift benefits students, faculty and the Abilene community by providing a safe and well-constructed track for all to use.

Originally the end date was set for Thanksgiving, but because of weather and students’ behavior, construction is still not complete.

As spring break looms ahead and construction workers feverishly pour cement so the track and landscape can be finished by graduation, the ACU community should realize and respect how much work goes into its construction.

From sunup to 5:30 p.m., nearly a dozen workers from Bontke Brothers Construction lay the foundation, pour concrete and edge the path for the 9-foot-wide, 5-inch deep sidewalk

The crew has battled quasi-snow, rain, freezing temperatures, high wind and 90-plus degree days in the four-month span they’ve worked.

They also have had to re-do parts of the trail because of students attempting to show off their artistic abilities.

Last semester students doodled or wrote names in the wet concrete, which added several more hours of work for the men for each name written.

After finishing a section of the trail, the workers had to cover the students’ markings with a thinner sand mixture, which eventually will lead to cracks down the road – literally, said Rick Bontke, project manager, in a previous Optimist article in November.

Students should remember the trail was not made just for them and that tens of thousands of dollars, countless hours and much planning went into its development so it could be enjoyed by an entire community.

Don’t graffiti the campus because you think it’s funny, because of a dare or any other reason.

As college students, we should be mature enough to leave others’ hard work alone, and think about more then the few minutes of gratification that scribbling a name in the damp concrete might bring.

Before the end of the semester, construction will be complete, but not before entrances to residence halls and buildings are temporarily closed. Although this will cause many an inconvenience, the closure will only last a few days.

Don’t spout off complaints to the workers, ACU police or the administration. Respect the crew members as they finish their work and the addition and be thankful for the hard work they have put into the trail.