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Student center suffers student damage

Published: Monday, September 8, 2008

Updated: Monday, September 8, 2008 00:09

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ORACLE PHOTO/SEAN REED

These pencil marks on the wall are located in the eating area of the student union.

This footprint, located on the second floor of the Marshall Student Center, is scratched into the wo

ORACLE PHOTO/SEAN REED

This footprint, located on the second floor of the Marshall Student Center, is scratched into the wooden ledge.

Some marks on the wall, like these denim marks, are

ORACLE PHOTO/SEAN REED

Some marks on the wall, like these denim marks, are uninentional.

In the two weeks the new Marshall Student Center has been open, it has endured more wear and tear than its director or head architect ever expected.


Though most of the damage is unintentional, said Marshall Student Center Director Joe Synovec, careless students are responsible for some of the harm.


One example that stands out is a footprint on the second floor. It is scratched into the wooden ledge near the staircase, Synovec said. The only way to repair it is to sand down the wood and polish it again.


"We don't know how it got there," he said.


Marshall Student Center staff said they also found gum stuck to the backs of chairs and pencil marks on the walls.


"(Those) were intentional," Synovec said.


Other examples he gave, like stains on the walls from students rubbing their blue jeans or backpacks against them as they walk, were accidental but something the building was not prepared for.


"We didn't realize the impact the walls would take," he said.


Some walls have to be repainted, but the architects who designed the student union are looking into ways to better protect them.


John Curran, vice president of Gould Evans Architecture and head architect of the Marshall Student Center project, said they will probably apply a fiber reinforced laminate — the same kind of laminate found on countertops — to the walls.


"It wasn't done before because it was originally cost-prohibitive," he said. "It's not often you get an opportunity to get those laminates on the projects because of the expense. In most cases, the walls can put up with the damage."


The Marshall Student Center, however, is not like most buildings. Curran said he has never seen a building accumulate so much wear and tear in its first two weeks.


"It was very unusual to say the least, but it comes with the territory of a student union," he said.


Gabby Garton, a freshman majoring in chemistry, said the damage does more than tarnish the building.


"It's really disrespectful to your fellow students," she said.


Ayame Shiba, an international student from Japan, said it wasn't disrespectful but students should be more aware.


"It's a public place," she said. "We should be careful about making marks."


Synovec said he wants the students to treat the building with the same respect and care as they would their own houses.


"Or maybe their parents' houses," he said.

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11 comments

Lisa Thompson
Thu Oct 16 2008 16:16
As an '85 alum, I have to admit it seemed very cold and sterile to me. But give it time. I'm sure we'll get used to it. Most of us hate change.

It is going to do a great job accommodating all the growth projected in the next decade. Can't say the same about the Legislature.

I am finishing work on a Phyllis Marshall bio. Anyone with an interesting story about her is welcome to contact me at redquill2@verizon.net.

Walt
Tue Sep 9 2008 08:43
Most likely some of the same miscreants who stumble off the buses drunk and stupid from Ybor.
Sean Kelly
Mon Sep 8 2008 16:59
Freshman will be freshman. If your that stupid that you can't take out a piece of paper to spit your gum in, rather than stick it to the closest desk or chair, than you should go back to high school. Come to think about it, you probably would not even read this paper or check the posts for that matter so you had better get back to your beer pong and rush week.
E. Clemons
Mon Sep 8 2008 16:08
Susan, you took the words right out of my mouth. Two words for the new MC appearance: cold and sterile. Sort of a mix between a hospital, museum and a mall. Maybe it just needs to grow on us Bulls that are used to the old, comfortable MC....
John Doe
Mon Sep 8 2008 12:46
AJ, come on. Expelled? That seems a hair extreme. I think they should be forced to clean the building. The amount of damage determines how many days he/she will be spend cleaning.

Some do feel it's the 13th grade. For a lot of them, it is. So many of them still have Mommy and Daddy breathing down there neck and backing them up whenever trouble comes. Screw that. These kids need to be held accountable for their own actions.

Jahaan
Mon Sep 8 2008 12:31
Any student that is caught damaging any property should be executed immediately.
John
Mon Sep 8 2008 12:15
It's a blatant lie to say that the damage was 'unexpected'. Less than a month after the old Marshall Center removed the employees from the games room the place was destroyed at the hands of the student body.

It does not surprise me in the least that there are scuff marks on the walls and chewing gum on the chairs - take a look in any classroom across campus and you will find chewing gum on the seats. This is not new!!

For management to say that they did not expect this degree of damage is nonsense.

Additionally SG's attempts to stop people from walkikng on the floor of the building makes even less sense. If they dont want people walking on the seal maybe they shouldn't have put in on the floor in front of what will become a Main Entrance!! This is not about school spirit, it's about a handful of folks up in SG that just to do something to make themselves seem important!

Susan
Mon Sep 8 2008 12:13
I think that the architect of the marshall center did not survey the use of the building properly. The building should not be designed as a vacumm or a musem, it is a student center to be used by the many students for various reasons and uses. When the University decides to make a showpiece out of a building, there will be problems. The center does not adequately represent the student body- most students weren't even aware of the building. The communication between the adminstration and the students seriously lack. These people are hired to take care of the business of the students, which includes listening to them as well as their needs. It is difficult to respect a building that appears to be one-sided. Most students cannot afford to eat at the center, as credit card use is stupid. The conference rooms are restricitve and clausterpobic. It is difficult to study in the "quiet areas" as the noise reflects from the many levels. The overall effect is cold and looks like a mall. The center does not provide a proper learning environment and instead chooses to cash in on appearance. I think pres. genshaft should build her ballroom on her own dime on her own property.
Mark
Mon Sep 8 2008 12:07
Typical of the type of student that attends this University
AJ 34
Mon Sep 8 2008 02:13
Any student that is caught damaging any property should be expelled immediately.
Billy
Mon Sep 8 2008 02:04
Give them something nice and some will go out of their way to mess it up. This is allegedly a place of higher learning not the 13Th grade as some think .




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