The game room at Winston-Salem State University is a place where students congregate to do anything from engage in a card game to watch television, play ping-pong or shoot pool – well, at least that used to be the case.The game room, in the Thompson Center, has been void of pool tables and arcade games since about the second week of April. Why? “Because of vandalism and abuse,” said Albert Roseboro, the associate vice chancellor of Student Affairs. “When you abuse the equipment, we have the right to take them out.” Actually, the company that removed the pool tables and arcade games was Colonial Vending Co. in Greensboro. “We have a lease/rental agreement with them,” said Roseboro. “The equipment is not ours.” According to Willie Cumbo, the assistant director of Housing and Residence life (and former assistant director of the Thompson Center) the damage consisted of students, “walking on the tables, stealing and vandalism.” “The more vandalism and theft that occurs, the more money it costs the school,” he said.Loss of and damage to equipment was about $3,500, Roseboro said. “Recent month’s revenue generated was almost zero due to overhead costs [vandalism, etc.],” said Cumbo. The game room is available because of student fees and funds. Does the absence of the pool tables infringe upon the students and the money they pay toward their fees? Cumbo expressed that “At the present time, financially, the students are losing out.” Art Malloy, the associate vice chancellor of Student Affairs, said, “We try to believe that we are all adults and act like adults.” This obviously doesn’t seem to be the case. Julius Boseman, a sophomore banking and finance major, said, “Students just didn’t want to take responsibility.” Students paid 50 cents to play pool but were stealing balls and taking money from the arcade games. The loss of the arcades was apparently not one that would be a disappointment to many because students obviously weren’t using them, according to Cumbo. “They weren’t a profitable venture,” he said. “It wasn’t a revenue-producing area.”On the other hand, the pool tables may not have been making much money, but they obviously attracted most of the game room population. Dayuan Ross, a freshman business administration major, used to spend an average of nine hours a week in the game room. He doesn’t spend nearly as much time now, because he said, “When they took the pool tables out, they took out everybody’s reason for coming to the game room.”Most damage to equipment is done between the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. and on weekends. It is possible that the pool tables will be returned to the game room by the end of the semester, but with a new system in place. Roseboro said, “We’re going to a two-shift system. There will be adult supervision day and night. The games are for the enjoyment of the students,” said Roseboro, “Not to penalize students.” The game room at the university opened in fall 1996 and was a high revenue-making entertainment center, Cumbo said. This spring, the amount of revenue gained from the room dropped, due to careless students. Sadly, those students who aren’t in remiss are the ones who have to tolerate the consequences, Cumbo said.”Anytime vandalism of school property occurs, students suffer, unfortunately,” said Malloy, “It only takes one to make it bad for everybody else.”
Contact Janell J. Lewis at jlewis@thenewsargus.com.