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Vol. 24, No. 6 Oct. 16, 1998

'Summer Refresh' Is First Step in Plan to Improve Classrooms

More than 100 classrooms on the Morningside Campus were cleaned, repaired and touched up with paint in time for the start of fall classes, under a "summer refresh" initiative that is part of a long-term effort to improve classroom space.

Approximately $225,000 were spent on the summer refresh, which involved 116 classrooms, and a much larger capital expenditure will be requested in the next budget by Arts and Sciences and the University Registrar. Also, a full-time classroom coordinator, Fred Small, has been hired to work with Facilities Management and the Registrar's Office to make sure classrooms are well kept, as part of a pilot program to increase day-to-day maintenance.

The overall condition and availability of class space is now being studied by the Morningside Classroom Committee, a group of faculty members and administrators headed by Professor Robert Krauss. Their report-which will address classrooms and how well they are utilized-is scheduled to be released next month.

"The quality and condition of our classroom space is a high priority requirement that we have not attended to as well as we should," President George Rupp said. "We recognize that the state of our classrooms has an impact on the education of our students and the effectiveness of our faculty. With the cleanup effort this summer, we have taken some initial steps. We look forward to hearing further from the classroom committee, which will help to frame how we develop and implement a long-overdue long-term plan." Acting Registrar Joe Ienuso, who is overseeing the pilot maintenance program, said, "I hope this is the first of many steps in trying to improve the quality of classrooms on campus."

Ienuso said an engineering firm was hired last spring to assess the physical condition of classrooms, surveying everything from acoustics and lighting, to the positioning of electric sockets and the working state of wall clocks. Those data, in addition to a survey of 720 students and faculty on their thoughts about classroom conditions, will be addressed in the forthcoming Morningside Classroom Committee report.