The newly constructed classrooms in the Old University Union have increased technological ability, but are not without acoustic difficulties that often leave faculty and students asking, “Can you repeat that?”
“The acoustics weren’t really made for a classroom-type setting,” Jeff Sagor, a senior majoring in economics, said. “It seems to be set up more as a conference room rather than a classroom and that really inhibits the ability of the instructor to teach there.”
According to Karen Fennie, the spokeswoman for Physical Facilities, a committee of students involved in the Old University Union renovations said that programming space was extremely important. For this reason, the rooms were designed to be “multipurpose rooms” that could be utilized for both class and programming.
The multipurpose function of the rooms contributed largely to the design.
“At 4 p.m. every day, the room is turned over to the [Old] University Union,” Jeffrey Donahue, the director for the Educational Communications Center, said. “Anything other than classes happens after 4 p.m.”
Donahue also added that the desk for an instructor was eliminated from the setup in order to provide the room with the most flexibility.
Each of these new multipurpose rooms, like all classrooms on campus, are classified as “laptop-ready rooms” by University standards, meaning they will have connections available.
This created another problem, however, because the area available for the instructor’s laptop was sized and positioned incorrectly, Donahue said. Last semester, some instructors had to have their backs to the students in order to use that equipment, although, according to Donahue, that issue has been fixed.
Many students have said that there are still a number of issues with the new rooms, particularly room 120, which holds about 150 to 200 students.
“I really can’t hear anything that the teacher is saying or see anything he writes on the board,” Robert Nussbaum, a junior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said.
Sophomore philosophy, politics and law major Chris Gurunian echoed Nussbaum’s comment.
“You can’t see, you can’t hear. How am I supposed to do well in an upper-level class in a room with such horrible acoustics?” Gurunian said. “It’s so bad, it almost seems pointless to attend class.”
Donahue said there is no reason for students or teachers to have a problem hearing each other because the sound systems in the new rooms are very powerful and there is a microphone available every morning.
According to Anthony Reeves, a visiting assistant professor in the philosophy department, lecture halls that accommodate large classes usually have staggered seating, which makes it easier to make eye contact and convey information through the blackboard.
The multipurpose rooms, like room 120, are not designed with staggered seating.
“The major challenge of a room like UU120 is using visual tools to teach,” Reeves added.
Donahue said that he continues to listen to the feedback about the new rooms and fix what teachers and students complain about.
Because of complaints from numerous professors who use VHS tapes as a teaching tool, Donahue is currently working on adding a new VHS player to the classrooms. According to Donahue, it will be installed sometime this semester.