Campus News

Athletic facility upgrades approved

Three facility funding requests totaling $3.83 million were approved Feb. 8 at the quarterly meeting of the Athletic Association’s board of directors.

The largest of the plans is a scoreboard control room on the southeast club level corner within Sanford Stadium where all video boards in athletic facilities can be operated without having to lease or move HD equipment from venue to venue. At a projected cost of $2.6 million, a HD control room would provide the ability to produce live programming, produce special events and shoulder programming for television and digital distribution.

The Callaway Room in the Rankin Smith Academic Center will be converted from a banquet or large study hall into smaller rooms to accommodate about 200 one-on-one and small group study and counseling sessions per week. This renovation is estimated at $750,000.

The South Side SkySuites in Sanford Stadium will be upgraded with new furniture before the start of the 2012 football season. The new furniture will address the functionality of the space while maximizing seating and viewing opportunities. To furnish the original 30 suites will cost around $480,000.