Renovations began on the Curry Student Center Ballroom Monday that are supposed to improve the makeup of the facility and make it more accessible to different groups.

The new Ballroom, slated to be complete in time for the beginning of the fall semester, will feature revamped lighting and sound features, including acoustical treatment, said Bob Grier, the student center’s director of operations. He also said the room would receive a more modern look.

“Students will be excited about this facility,” Grier said of the project. “It’s very new and improved.”

In the past, the Ballroom has mostly hosted mid-size lectures and smaller music and comedy acts, in addition to a host of school functions like blood drives. It has served as a middle ground between larger venues like Blackman Auditorium and smaller lecture halls.

With the renovations, administrators like Grier, and students, hope the revamped Ballroom will provide an opportunity for an increase in the types of events previously scheduled.

“I would think there would be a lot of anxiety among students to want to use this new facility,” Grier said.

Tom Kneafsey, president of the Council for University Program-ming (CUP) and part of the push among student leaders to revamp the Ballroom, said the change was “very welcome.”

“In general, it was a dated facility,” Kneafsey said. “When we bring in lecturers and comedians, it’ll be a must in getting quality acts. I can’t imagine it won’t be booked to capacity.”

Other students, however, conveyed a less excited sentiment over the renovations.

When told about the renovations, junior finance and management major James Westphal said, “Does it have a bar?”

If not, he said, he was likely not to go, but he did indicate that the renovations would be a good thing for mid-size acts.

“If you’re going to bring in people that we wouldn’t have had before, I can see how it would be a good thing,” Westphal said.

Although the Ballroom was previously booked with events for most of the summer, Grier said there has been a reworking of many of the locations. As a result, the events will go on as planned.

“There was no request we couldn’t address. Many of the events will be moved to the West Addition,” said Grier, referring to the often blocked off area on the ground floor of the student center. “We’ll also try to direct the fast food patrons to the first floor dining area.”

Grier said the McLeod Suites, located on the third floor of the student center, would also be utilized.

“There may be some crush during lunch, but we’ll work it out,” he said.

Events that take place during the summer in the Ballroom usually do not require arrangements outside of the main university community, Grier said. Some of these include alumni luncheons and summer orientation activities.

As a result of the schedule being less involved with outside participants, the university wouldn’t lose any of the potential money it could have made from normally renting the room out during this time, Grier said.