Interior view of Lerner Hall with its network of steel ramps.

When Alfred Lerner Hall opened its doors in August of 1999, the new student center was still a work in progress. Today, more than a year later, after hosting thousands of events, Lerner has become a focus of campus activity and building use continues to grow.

In the past year, the number of people who have passed through the entry turnstiles has more than doubled. According to Harris Schwartz, executive director of Alfred Lerner Hall, there are 42,000 average weekly turnstile entries. This calculation, Schwartz says, is "quite modest" considering those who come into the building to use Café 212 or the University bookstore are not counted.

Schwartz credits the increasing number of student events and the opening of Ferris Booth Commons with the building's dramatic influx of traffic. He adds, "Lerner has become a part of the pattern of natural daily activity" because students can now engage in a variety of planned activities, use retail services, visit the game room or meet friends.

Despite initial concerns that Lerner would not prioritize students for space allocation, last year's space rental broke down as follows: 78 percent to student groups; 17 percent to university service departments such as Undergraduate Admissions, Human Resources, and Health Services, and 5 percent to special activities such as the Fresh Air Fund-Career Awareness Day, a recurrent event each March.

According to Schwartz, people find Lerner attractive because it provides the convenience of "one stop shopping" for space, set-up, technical and audiovisual support and catering. The appeal of some spaces is related to their uniqueness on campus. The Roone Arledge Auditorium and Cinema, for example, can accommodate almost 1,500 people for a wide range of events. Consequently, the auditorium has been among the most requested venue.

"It's a sensational space, and we have been very happy using it," said Yoni Appelbaum, speakers coordinator for the Columbia Political Union, which has co-sponsored visits by Hillary Clinton, Ralph Nader, John McCain and Shimon Peres. "The auditorium enables us to bring world-famous political figures to Columbia so that they may listen to students and students may listen to them."

The auditorium is not the only space of choice. For arts-related groups, the multipurpose room, 555, is also frequently requested because of its flexibility and acoustics. In the past, this room has been used for an array of events. Recently, Stacey McMath, a student technical services staff member, came up with the idea to make 555 a provisional amphitheater by placing the chairs on risers for a one-act play festival.

Now that students have a better sense of the capabilities of each of Lerner's venues, the building is becoming somewhat overcrowded. But Schwartz feels that the new additions to the building will alleviate some of the pressure for more space.

A new Black Box theatre and more rehearsal and meeting rooms will be available in Fall 2001. But the 6th floor has not yet been programmed since a clear determination of needs has yet to be made.

As the building's facilities and capabilities continue to grow, Schwartz and Dara Falco, associate director, are anticipating the increasing demands for space by planning a campus-wide, on-line information hub called Virtual EMS (Event Management System).

EMS will be most helpful in booking space as it provides a database where venue managers can tentatively reserve a space for an organization anywhere on campus with minimal effort.