This is my senior year at the UW. After four years of walking from my residence north of campus, I have a comfortable routine, timing my departure from my house down to the nanosecond.

OK, that’s an exaggeration — I measure it at least to the millisecond. I walk down my alley, head left toward 17th and 45th, where I stand with at least a hundred other Washington students waiting for the little white man to appear. Once on campus, I always head past Balmer Hall and down toward the Quad. It’s so familiar I could do it blindfolded.

This year things changed. The third day of class, I headed down Memorial Way as usual, veering left toward Balmer when, to my sudden surprise, I hit a fence. At least three feet taller than I, the chain-link obstruction extended as far as I could see. Confused as well as frustrated, I began a mental debate of my options. Do I scale the wall so I can continue my ordinary route, or do I dig a hole beneath it? How far will it take to walk around it? No matter what I chose, I knew that I was probably going to be late to my 9:30 class.

On my way back from class I tried a new route. Instead of passing by Balmer Hall, I cut out toward Stevens Way. It added at least three hours (OK, minutes) to my trek. By the time I got to 45th, I was tired, sweaty and determined to find a better way.

The following morning, I left earlier as an attempt to find a faster course to class. Crossing Memorial Way, I headed toward the fenced-in path that the construction workers left for students. Feeling like a corralled herd of cattle, several others and I followed the detour to Denny Hall. It was here that I realized that I was farther from my destination than when I first began.

I spent the next few days skipping class, holed-up in my room with maps of the UW campus sprawled across my desk. I was determined to find a better way to class.

I know that I’m not the only one frustrated by the fence blocking my preferred route. Already groups have formed in protest of the chain-link obstacle. Students Against Fence (SAF) and the I Used To Walk Past Balmer and Now I Can’t Because of a Dumb Fence (IUTWPBANICBDF) are two of the most popular. While some students skip due to the complications of walking to class, others attempt different methods. One of the group presidents, in a moment of rebellion, scaled the fence to walk the usual route. Construction workers and members of the University Secret Police took him down within seconds.

Clearly, the chain-link fence is a problem that upsets several students. There may be an important national election and ongoing incidents compromising campus safety, but the problem of rerouting students’ paths to class surpasses any of that. If the University expects us to make it to class on time, or even at all, then an efficient route, preferably by Balmer Hall, will be necessary during this time of construction.

Reach columnist Erika Cederlind at opinion@dailyuw.com.