Building receives renovations instead of reconstruction
USC officials said there is no question that the Russell House needs more meeting space. But until plans are finalized to either expand the student union or erect an entirely new satellite building, the university will continue to pay out of pocket for routine maintenance work.
The board of trustees approved a $437,000 plan last semester to overlay the second floor’s dark gray tiles with a brighter terrazzo-like sheen. Russell House Director Kim McMahon said the makeover would greatly enhance incoming natural light to cheer up the lobby’s interior.
“Right now the second floor doesn’t have much life, but covering the floor with a silver/white base would allow us to add color,” McMahon said. “A new coating would brighten things up so the building feels newer and cleaner.”
Each year, the Russell House collects approximately $200,000 for capital renovation projects from the activity fee students pay each semester. Last year, this enhancement fund helped to pay for new furniture and high-definition televisions on the third floor that cost $155,000. The building has also received multiple routine maintenance updates in the past decade, including food service upgrades, bathroom renovations and roof repairs. New lighting was added to the ballroom two years ago.
Facilities’ next maintenance project will be repairing the building’s elevators over the summer at a cost of $575,000, according to Associate Vice President of Facilities Tom Quasney.
Quasney said the Russell House is actually “in fair condition” and receives “a fair amount of maintenance due to its importance and high use.”
However, some question how much longer the Russell House can function on yearly maintenance patch-ups. According to McMahon, rickety elevators are only one of the building’s countless structural and interior inadequacies. With between 6,000 and 8,000 students passing through the Russell House each day, the building experiences a high level of “wear and tear.”
“Every time a student sits in a chair, turns on a light or flushes a toilet, that’s more wear and tear,” McMahon said.
So far, McMahon says the Russell House has maintained a good relationship with maintenance staff to keep the building in optimal shape. Students who pass through the building every day appreciate the effort.
“The bathrooms are always clean,” said Ashley Cooper, a second-year biology student. “It gets crowded, and sometimes you can’t find a place to sit, but everything else works fine.”
With the drafting of a self-assessment study and the possibility of a new Russell House, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Jerry Brewer wonders whether the cost of a new building would outweigh the cost of the current structure’s constant need for repairs. He compared the state of the 57-year-old union to that of newer facilities, such as the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center.
“People who walk through the Strom wouldn’t know that the building is nine years old,” Brewer said. “If you build something, you have to build for now and for the future.”
Whether such modern structures are underway for the Russell House depends on the results of the assessment, which itself depends on approval from the board of trustees. The study would look at the sizes, locations and floor plans of student unions at other universities, such as Clemson, the University of South Florida and North Carolina State. The study would also bring in professional consultants to evaluate the needs of USC’s westward expanding campus and conduct surveys among the student body and faculty as to what would be an ideal solution.
Until then, McMahon will be dreaming of a more impressive student union.
“How great would it be if we had a Russell House to match the Strom, Honors Dorm and the new business building?” McMahon posed. “That’s would be the ringer for incoming students.”