New Media looking for a new home

Growing program is on a far corner of campus, would like to move closer to the core

By: Michelle Steinhebel

Posted: 2/13/07

The new media communications program is looking for a home closer to the core of campus. So far, discussions have been unsuccessful for the six-year-old program.

Two labs and the new media communications faculty are stationed in the Oak Creek Building on 30th Street and Western Boulevard, several blocks away from the center of campus.

"There are a couple of things that are deficiencies in that particular space," said Jeff Hale, interim director for new media communications. "One is that it's at the edge of campus, so it's not as conducive for the students who have to travel out there to meet with faculty."

The lab space is located on the second floor of the Oak Creek Building and is not accessible for students with disabilities. Currently, there is not a student with disabilities in the program.

The program's motion capture lab and gaming lab are also located in the Oak Creek Building.

"We haven't quite been able to manage the heating and cooling system in that building," Hale said. "At least on the south side, and it's making the rooms really, really hot or really, really cold. It's just uncomfortable."

Another factor is as the program grows, there isn't room for expansion in its current home.

"We're seeking a place where our offices and lab could be in the same location, be wheel-chair accessible, and closer to the campus core," Hale said.

Discussions were taking place to move the new media communications faculty and lab into the Kelley Engineering building, but so far the talks have stalled.

"The space they have is dedicated to college graduate work and the new media communication program is not at a state where we are doing graduate work yet," Hale said. "We had a good discussion about the possibility but there wasn't enough synergy between the two programs to make it worthwhile at this point."

"To be honest, we just looked at the facts and there wasn't anything [to support a move]," said Terri Fiez, director of the school of electrical engineering and computer science.

"Kelley is about research and collaborative research," Fiez said. "I don't think they have a lot of research in new media communications yet - I think they're still trying to build it up."

Hale is continuing to search for a suitable space for the program and has identified some alternative spaces on campus, including space in Adams Hall.

"We'll continue to look for other space toward the core of campus and continue in the interim to make this home at Oak Creek," Hale said.

The new media communications program focuses on the "mediated communications and its impact on culture, technology and society," according to the program's Web site.