Roughly 1.3 million visit union in fall semester
The Russell House University Union opened in September 1955. But as enrollment at USC continues to rise, so does foot traffic and the demand for meeting space in the building that has served as the university’s center for nearly 60 years.
As overall enrollment and freshman class sizes have increased over the past three years, so has the number of daily and semesterly visitors to the Russell House. Over the course of the Fall 2013 semester, 1.3 million visitors went to the student union, whether for a late-night trip to Marble Slab Creamery or a pre-class Frappuccino at the bookstore. On the average weekday, 14,000 people pass through the doors from when they open at 7 a.m. and they close at midnight.
That kind of data, collected by traffic counters at every entrance, helps Russell House Director Kim McMahon and her staff determine what they need to keep the day running smoothly. McMahon has five full-time operations staffers, supplemented with more than 30 part-time student workers. The leadership and service center, Russell House’s programming component, has 19 employees.
“They fill Russell House in with life,” McMahon said. “That left hand and right hand are working together all the time, even though they have teams in different areas. Those components are vital to student union operation. It’s a combination of social, service, interaction and facilities.”
The traffic data also helps McMahon and her team advise student organizations on when the best time is to hold events on Greene Street or the Russell House patio. The busiest days are the first three of the week, with Chicken Finger Wednesdays bringing the most people through the doors.
But with that increased traffic comes with more strain on the nearly 60-year-old building and its resources, including more competition for meeting space and an increased need for improvements.
“More people means more wear and tear,” McMahon said. “It’s easy for me to say yes [to a major renovation project], and I would love to lead that, but it is a very expensive endeavor.”
And while the Russell House hopes to be one of the best student unions in the Southeastern Conference and South Carolina for student services, it’s also one of the oldest.
All but three SEC schools have rebuilt or completed major renovations on its student unions in the past 10 years or are in the process of renovating them, McMahon said.
But there are no current plans on the table for Russell House.
A planned $125 million renovation of the Carolina Coliseum could create a satellite student union in coming years, reflecting a campus shift towards Assembly Street with the construction of the new Darla Moore School of Business and a $95 million student housing project. McMahon said she is not opposed to that option, either.
But while new space is desired, Russell House and the staff that support it are doing just fine for now, McMahon said.
“If you think of the work it takes to take care of a 60-year-old building, we do very well,” McMahon said.