U. renovates heavily used classrooms

The University launched a $1 million project to rehabilitate classrooms across campus this summer in an ongoing effort to improve its academic facilities, University administrators said last week. John Smolen, executive director of the Office of Student Information and Systems said last week that renovations were made to the "central pool classrooms" of the University -- "those classrooms that get the most use" -- including Williams Hall and Bennett Hall, among others. He said much of the work involved removing asbestos from Stiteler Hall and renovating and relighting rooms in Bennett Hall, David Rittenhouse Laboratories and Stiteler. In addition to the changes that took place over the summer, the University intends to continue rehabilitating the central pool and other classrooms for an extended period of time, Smolen said. Long and short term projects are on the agenda. "[One] goal is to put computers wherever necessary," Smolen said. "We want to tread carefully with this and make sure we'll get what will be best for the users of the building." Smolen said rooms in many of the buildings had severe problems. Professors in DRL, for instance, complained because students were unable to use solar calculators in the classrooms. "In some of the rooms you could not see what you had written nor use a solar calculator," Physics Professor Howard Brody said. "That's all been fixed. Now it's bright and controllable . . . cheerful and lively." Smolen said the rehabilitation was generated by Provost Michael Aiken, who convened a "Classroom Facilities Review Committee," consisting of faculty and officials to decide what changes were required and how to go about producing them. This committee spent a year reviewing the improvements that were most necessary for campus buildings, Smolen said. "Their charge was to review all the classrooms and decide which needed rehabilitation and which needed technical enhancements and what [they] should be," he said. He added that this committee, led through its first year by Art History Chairperson Elizabeth Johns and currently by Acting Education Dean Education Michael Tierney, is "about the best working committee I've sat in on starting 11 years" ago. The committee concluded that the most necessary rehabilitations were required in Stiteler Hall, David Rittenhouse Lab and Bennett Hall and requested $2 million for the project. Aiken, who instituted and convened the committee, provided $1 million dollars for the work. University officials said that original hopes for more money were destroyed when the Harrisburg Legislature withdrew substantial state funding from the University last spring. University Registrar Ron Sanders said another concern of University officials is to maintain the improved standards long after they have been inplemented. Sanders said he is currently interviewing people to hire to be in charge of maintaining the renovations. "We're trying to get an organized volunteer program started to . . . deal with looking at the classrooms on a more frequent basis," Sanders said. "We want to look at classrooms a minimum of once a week." Previous University procedure was to inspect classrooms annually, he added. Smolen said he is very pleased with the success of the "Classroom Facilitating Committee." Sanders said it accomplished its goal in two short months and came in under budget by using University Physical Plant resources instead of professional contractors whose work would have cost more money. The extra funds were used to make other improvements and have generated support from those involved in the project, he said. Tierney attributed much of the committee's success to the leadership of Johns last year. He stressed the importance of continuing this effort over a long period of time and as more funds become available from the provost's office. "One-tenth probably of what's required to bring most of the classrooms to what we consider appropriate standards [has been achieved]," he said. But he also said he was happy with what has been achieved so far. "I think this is a case where everybody's done their role to the benefit of the experience," he said.

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