LRC 221 is the largest classroom on campus with a capacity of 416 students. Although this unique room has the huge capacity to serve almost 8,000 students per semester (19 sections x 416 per section), it sits empty for much of the day. With university classroom space in scarce supply, why is LRC 221 not booked up? Department's shun the room because the instructional technology is so old and functions poorly. The screen appears fuzzy, the speakers buzz and hiss, the lighting is too dark when the projector is on, which has the noise level of a household vacuum cleaner. The old smartboard does not work, and there is just one tiny whiteboard.To make matters worse for everyone at the university, the poor functionality of LRC 221 gives a bad impression to perspective and new students when used for large-crowd events such as preview day, customs, scholars academy, and conferences like Expanding Your Horizons (Young Women in STEM). Of course, renovating a classroom of this size is expensive, but the potential impact on students is 10x bigger than the typical master classroom renovation proposal. If approved, this renovation would bring in new technology to allow instructors to project clear images onto three independently-controlled screens, including side screens for easier visibility from the edges of the large room. Audio and lighting problems would be eliminated. Instructors would have ample whiteboard space. Currently, three colleges book large classes or conduct group testing in LRC 221: the Jones College of Business, the College of Media and Entertainment, and the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. Renovating LRC 221 would attract additional use of it, which would also free up availability in (smaller) large classrooms in high demand across the campus. Please note that this proposal was granted prior approval to exceed the normal $100,000 per classroom limit. Also, please note that Psychology previously had scheduling priority in LRC 221, but with the new CBHS building coming online, they no longer depend on LRC 221. The Department of Economics and Finance currently schedules the most large sections (4 each semester) in LRC 221.
