Minor Damage Prompts Ballroom Closure, Forces Groups to Meet Elsewhere

The Ballroom, a large-space meeting room located in Student Union Building II, was closed this week for investigation into the safety of the room after maintenance raised concern about wear on its ceiling. The room has since been deemed structurally fine, but it has not been reopened for use. 
(Photo courtesy of Azucar Salsa Club, a student organization that regularly uses the room)

-------------------------------------

The roof above the Student Union Building II Ballroom may not be a casualty of ‘Snowverkill 2010,’ but it has left some damage as far as events scheduling is concerned. The large-room space, which according to Events Management is used at least once a day by students and faculty for events, meetings and practices, was closed earlier this week as a precautionary measure to evaluate possible damage noticed by maintenance staff after last week’s snowstorms. 

According to Associate Director of Operations and Events Services Keith Ellis, the metal trusses that support the roof and ceiling of the SUB II Ballroom had developed a slight bow after last week’s massive snowfall, temporarily placing the safety of the room in question. Student groups and events began to be relocated to different rooms early Monday evening.

Engineers have since assessed the damage and deemed the structure to be safe for use and, moreover, to be functioning as designed.

“Trusses are designed to flex,” said Ellis.

But damage has still been done. Ellis says the trusses have flexed to a point that the movable partitions are starting to drag the floor in the center of the room. They’re settling from their hanging brackets and causing some minute cracking in the drywall above them, according to a compliance safety officer. And according to Assistant Director of Facilities Maintenance August Runge, these conditions mean that the partitions in the space are in need of repairs.

“Although the space is safe for occupancy, we are trying to use any open time in the current schedule to evaluate the situation and plan for potential repairs [to the partitions],” said Runge.

Consequently, Runge says he is advising that Events Management does not schedule the space until further notice.  

Student groups have felt the effects of the closure, but while possibly inconvenienced, most say that there haven’t been too great of difficulties in finding other locations on-campus.

David Lloyd, president of the Mason Azucar Salsa Club, said he received word of the situation two and half hours before his group’s Monday evening workshop at 7:30 p.m.

“It was a little short notice,” said Lloyd, “but considering the seriousness of the situation, I don’t hold it against them.”

Azucar, which uses the ballroom for its hard floor, is one of many student groups and events affected by the ballroom’s closing. Homecoming events and Catholic Campus Ministry’s Ash Wednesday service, both scheduled to take place in the ballroom, were relocated to the Johnson Center Cinema.

Six groups were forced to relocate Wednesday alone. Some found spaces that worked equally well for their events. Others had more difficulty, which may continue.

“If [the ballroom isn’t ready for use next week], I was able to get meeting room F in the Johnson Center for our normal times next Monday,” said Azucar’s Lloyd. “Worst case scenario, we’ll move things there and continue to move around until everything is fixed.”

Depending on the length of the repairs, it’s possible that the space’s closure may test limits of Events Management.

According to Faculty/Staff Events Scheduler Ryan Hilliard, if a group wanted to book a large-room event next week, in light of the SUB II Ballroom’s closure and the fact that most rooms are booked at the beginning of each semester, they probably wouldn’t get it.

“We’re already short on space,” said Hilliard.