Rackham closure to affect local venues

By Ahmed Hamid

Daily Staff Reporter

When Rackham Auditorium closes next May for an 18-month full-scale renovation project, the congestion due to limited venues on and near campus will increase.

Since last month, only graduate student groups can use Rackham facilities, forcing undergraduate students groups to clog other venues, especially the Michigan Theater.

Nancy Doyal, Michigan Theater director of operations, said demand is expected to increase further when Rackham Auditorium closes.

Full-scale renovations will begin in May 2001, pending approval of the University Board of Regents approve the plan. Exterior renovations already have started. "The terms of the Rackham endowment were that the University would exclusively include graduate students in using Rackham facilities," said Donna Reed, assistant to the Rackham dean for budget, facilities and human resources. "We tried to relax it four years ago and because of the increasing demand the graduate students were having difficulty in accessing the facilities."

Damon Fairfield, president of Rackham Student Government, said he has received no complaints about the policy change. Groups must now be composed of at least 25 percent graduate students to use Rackham facilities.

"The problem is the deed of trust itself specifies that the building is to be used for graduate students only," Fairfield said. "We had no role in generating the current policy nor any input into it."

The congestion in bookings around campus can be linked to the perception that the University lacks adequate facilities. "The University needs to do more to accommodate groups. There aren't sufficient venues for groups like Amazin' Blue and others," said Brian Netter, business manager for Amazin' Blue, an a cappella group.

Such groups need spaces like the 1,200-seat Rackham Auditorium because of their target audience size, he said. An a capella concert wouldn't fill Hill Auditorium but would overfill an Angell Hall Auditorium.

Michigan Theater turned out to be the best alternative to Rackham for Amazin' Blue, Netter said, but getting a spot wasn't easy. "Michigan Theater's schedule was packed and we were unable to get a spot until the first week of December," Netter said.

58 Greene, another a cappella group that used to hold concerts at Rackham, also has reserved Michigan Theater during the first week of December.

"Rackham is a great auditorium, but now we are using Michigan Theater," said LSA junior Cathy Dacpano, business manager for 58 Greene. "It may sound far-fetched, but it would be great if the University could gather enough support to build a new facility."

The Rackham building was constructed in 1938. Reed said next year will be the first time an exhaustive renovation has taken place since then.

"There will be a complete renovation of the infrastructure that has not been updated since it was built," she said.

Exterior renovations to Rackham are scheduled to be completed in July 2001.