Dear Colleagues,

Over the past 10 years, OSU has been renovating our classrooms, focusing on updating and improving our teaching spaces, accessibility, and student comfort. As part of this effort, the auditoria in Gilbert Hall (rooms 124 and 224)) will be renovated and upgraded during the 2018 summer and fall terms.  The rooms will see much improved accessibility, better circulation for students and instructors, better climate control and new seats, lighting and finishes.  We have worked with both the Classroom Improvement Workgroup and the Chemistry Department (the primary users of the rooms) to ensure that the changes meet their needs.

The classroom closures for renovation will have a significant effect on the courses normally held in these rooms.  We’ve developed some strategies to address these issues:

• Chemistry courses will be moved to smaller classrooms in Linus Pauling Science Center (LPSC) or Johnson Hall (JOHN), depending on availability.
• Courses, midterms and finals will be held at different times, including some off hours. The Office of the Registrar, including the Schedule Desk, is working to minimize impact from these changes.

We are aware that the renovations in Gilbert Hall will affect a number of students, faculty and staff. Most importantly, we also recognize that some units may need to add sections of certain courses to make up for the difference is seating/capacity options in other locations. We are grateful for your patience and flexibility as we work to modernize these classrooms that have long required this attention.  We have studied alternatives, even improving one classroom at a time, but the classrooms are situated such that construction noise in one room would be heard in the other.  We expect that the auditoria will be back online for winter term 2019.

If you have questions about the renovations, please contact the project manager, John Doty (john.doty@oregonstate.edu). Class scheduling questions can be directed to your department’s designated scheduler. Thank you.

Rebecca Mathern

Associate Provost and University Registrar

Anita Nina Azarenko

Associate Vice President

University Facilities, Infrastructure and Operations