By Christina Smith

Temporary changes to campus facilities in preparation for the presidential debate held at the University could prove to be inconvenient-especially for those who frequent the Physical Fitness Center (PFC).

According to Joseph Barkwill, vice president for Facilities and Operations, the only construction the students and faculty will notice are exterior platforms erected outside the arena, as well as a few additional offices that the University will construct.

“There will really be no effect on students,” Barkwill said. “Other than the exterior platforms outside the arena, the rest is all interior construction.”

However, while there will be minimal visual changes, some buildings may be unavailable to students because they will be used to house different portions of the production surrounding the debates. That is, students who are consistently active in the PFC may need to find another place to work out until after October.

“Inside the PFC will be enough sit-down tables and chairs to accommodate around 750 media personnel,” Barkwill said. He added that power, telephone, and Wifi communication services will all be added to the area, as well as television sets for interviews and pipe-and-drape constructions for private interviews after the debate.

Unfortunately for PFC patrons, Barkwill said these changes will cause the fitness center to be “out of service for a few weeks” leading up to the debate. While the athletics department could feel a strain due to the closure, Barkwill said athletic teams have been taken care of, and will relocate to other areas during that time.

The changes to campus will not last long after the debate ends.

“We’re hoping that [the transition back] will be fairly quick,” Barkwill said. “The debate takes place on a Wednesday evening, and the PFC needs to be returned to normal by Friday for a volleyball game.”

He added that almost everything being built in preparation for the debate, including the platforms in and outside of the arena, will be removed. There should be no traces of unfamiliar structures left on campus less than 48 hours after the end of the debate. If the clean-up process goes as planned, any changes to buildings and other facilities should be completely erased.

At press time, other closures and changes in campus with regard to the debate were not finalized. Barkwill advised students, staff and community members to pay close attention to the University’s Web site for updates and announcements as the event draws near.

The University Relations department will release a statement concerning road closures and traffic conditions to be posted on the Web site in the coming weeks.

Inside the Physical Fitness Center, decked out for the debate and currently closed to student use. (Erin Furman)