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BSU’s CMA club places first
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BSU’s Construction Management Association has brought the first place title back to Boise for the fourth consecutive time.
The CMA, composed of construction management majors, dominated one of the three national student construction competitions held by the Associated General Contractors of America (ACG).
The competition measured the organization’s Campus Activities during the last school year.
The AGC annually sponsors three competitions; Campus Activities, which BSU won; Chapter Activities, and Community Service, which Kansas State University won this year.
With the first place finish, CMA brought home $1,000 as a result of hours of campus service and participating in university-sponsored events.
Last month, a group of 31 CMA students traveled to Reno, NV to compete in and win the Mechanical Division at the Associated Schools of Construction competition.
The students entered five events, and came back to Boise with five medals, a first place, two regional second places, and two third place medals.
Marv Gabert, CMA faculty adviser, said, “The CMA participates in between 15-20 projects every school year. Last year they earned approximately $16,000 from fundraisers, donations, as well as prize money.”
The organization uses the money to fund more projects, for field trips, and scholarships. Prior to this year’s Winter Olympics, CMA took 15-16 students to Salt Lake City to observe the construction plans.
“We don’t just pound nails. Our tools are the computer, the telephone, and pencil,” Gabert said.
CMA regularly participates in community service projects, such as the “Ball Wall,” a 8 foot by 20 foot wall constructed on the playgrounds of elementary schools around the valley.
“Janitors and faculty don’t like it when kids bounce balls of the school walls,” Gabert said.
So the CMA students construct walls simply for play.
The CMA are not typical construction workers, they also are integrated into the classroom, often spending as much time in classrooms as outside.
“Students take over the classes, with the teacher’s permission, and talk about the construction plans, calculating the distances, really involving the kids in the project. There’s also a tool box kit for grade schools, especially geared to fifth graders. The kids can then get a real hands on approach to learning,” Gabert said.
BSU students also participate in projects such as installing fencing and re-paving driveways. Some projects are fairly simple, such as their annual spring picnic and golf tournament.
Gabert said construction management is a 4-year BS degree, with studies including engineering, business management, construction management, as well as core classes such as calculus.
Construction management has been an accredited Bachelor of Science degree program since 1979, and the CMA has regularly won national awards since that time.
Currently there are approximately 160 construction management majors with about 60 regularly participating in activities.
“We’re pretty excited about that ratio, about 30 percent to 40 percent of our majors are actively involved, that’s a lot more than most other department organizations around campus,” Gabert said.
Amy Wegner