The crane looms over the construction site of Tykeson Hall. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

Emerald Editor-In-Chief Zach Price begins the climb of the crane. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

Crane climb: The Emerald begins the ascent of the crane at the heart of campus. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

The 172 EC-B Liebherr tower crane at the center of campus stands more than 200 feet tall. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

Crane climb: Standing at more than 200 feet tall, campus landmarks like the Lillis Business complex are visible from midway up the crane. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

On large construction sites, operators work with a bellman who serves as eyes on the ground, but for smaller sites such as Tykeson Hall, McArthur is on his own. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

A look at construction materials at the site down below the crane. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

The crane casts a shadow on the construction site. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

To get into the cab of the crane, one has to ascend a ladder with a landing about every ten feet, then climb through an opening that the crane swivels around. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

To reach the whole construction site, the crane is able to swivel. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

Crane Operator Ray McArthur is surrounded by windows and a transparent floor for improved visibility when inside the crane. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

The crane looks over campus and large parts of Eugene. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

A view of the Tykeson Hall construction site from within the cab of the crane. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

The crane’s mirror helps the operator see the construction site nearly twenty stories below. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

In Eugene, Ray McArthur operated cranes for the construction of Matthew Knight Arena, the EMU’s renovation, student housing, Autzen Stadium’s renovation, the Casanova extension, The Rec and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

Crane Operator Ray McArthur keeps essentials for a long work day inside the crane: 5 Hour Energy, Cholula and a fan are just a few. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

The crane looks over campus and large parts of Eugene. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

A construction workers hangs on to rails atop the crane. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

The crane’s cable extends the length of the crane. The crane has a max lifting capacity of 17,636 lbs. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

Flags on the crane help the operator gauge the wind. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

The crane looks over campus and large parts of Eugene. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

The crane looks over campus and large parts of Eugene. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)