Campus Technology Services officials renovated the Kerr-McGee Auditorium to improve the technology and functionality of the space.
The Kerr-McGee Auditorium is located in Meinders School of Business on the first floor. It can seat 250 people and is useful for film showings or presentations, according to okcu.edu. The renovations, which began last spring, were completed Friday.
The renovations cost about $112,456, paid for by the budgets from campus tech and the Meinders School of Business. Gerry Hunt, chief information officer of campus technology, said Kerr-McGee Auditorium was a budget priority for campus tech this fiscal year, and he worked with the Meinders deans to agree on renovations and costs to improve the space.
“The Kerr-McGee was due some updates in terms of the technology in the space, and also to adapt to the way it’s being used, so with that in mind, Campus Technology Services partnered with the Meinders School of Business to design out upgrades that will make this a better space, a more usable space that really fits what our needs are to that room,” Hunt said.
He said one of the main issues with the room’s old layout was the projector. Any maintenance or projector issues required using a ladder to reach the projector. During projections or films, if there was foot traffic on the above floor, the projector would shake slightly, possibly causing motion sickness to viewers. Use of the projector also necessitated lowering the room’s shades to prevent washing out the projection.
The projector was removed, and a video wall was added. Renovations began last spring, but the original video wall did not meet the team’s expectations, so a new one was brought in to finish the project. It is a composite of nine smaller screens, Hunt said, and it will be bright enough that the shades will not need to be lowered while using it. The video wall will have 4K video capability.
The auditorium’s old lectern was replaced with a smaller, sleeker one with the goal of blocking the screen less.
“That lectern has technology in it—a huge touch screen panel that allows you manipulate everything in the room from the screen, what sources you’re going to send to the screen, you can control the shades, lifting them up and down all from the lectern,” Hunt said. “Everything right there will be at the fingertips of whoever’s presenting.”
Renovations also include a complete audio overhaul, so the room will have surround sound and has been equipped with subwoofers.
“Again, that’s nothing visual you will see, but it will definitely be something you will notice when you hear sound in the room,” he said.
Another about 90-inch screen was added to the room in front of the right auditorium seats, so people sitting in the corners without good visuals on the main screen still can view whatever is being presented, Hunt said. The side screen also can show a different presentation from the main wall, such as additional information on an event or speaker.
The room is now equipped with dedicated microphones. Previously, campus tech officials had to bring in and remove mics for events, but the room now has a set of wireless handheld microphones and lavalier microphones which can be attached to a person’s ear.
The new system also allows for wireless presentation. Any mobile devices, including laptops and smartphones, can connect to the room through AirMedia by downloading an app, Hunt said. This allows a speaker to present from anywhere in the room.
Hunt said the reason for this decision was some of the technology growing troublesome and an overhaul being more effective than replacing things in portions. Organizations and groups on and off campus use Kerr-McGee to host events, so it’s highly visible.
Trae Trousdale, mass communications sophomore, said he was glad to hear the auditorium was undergoing renovations. Trousdale used it while coordinating for Rising Stars, a multicultural visitation day collaborated on by several student organizations.
“I think that it’s probably for the better. I’m very excited that we were able to renovate it,” he said.
Kelsey Cooper, economics freshman, said she hopes the improvements will better the sound design of the auditorium.
“I feel like the new upgrades would greatly improve any experience within the auditorium,” she said. “I distinctly remember attending a business luncheon before I had even enrolled at OCU and panicking because I could not hear the speakers because the microphones kept failing, and I was only sitting in the fourth row.”
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