2017-2018 Student Technology Fee Proposal Ruby Diamond Concert Hall: Classroom Audio and Video Distribution Enhancement Ruby Diamond Concert Hall College of Music Florida State University Heather Mayo Assistant Director for Production and Outreach, College of Music ([email protected]; 850-644-5541) Mike Shapiro Director of Audio, College of Music ([email protected]; 850-645-9671) Michael Strickland Director of IT, College of Music ([email protected]; 850-644-5788) Project Description Ruby Diamond Concert Hall (RDCH) respectfully requests $57,248.12 to upgrade the concert hall’s current Audio and Video (A/V) distribution system to an all-digital system utilizing audio and video over Ethernet. The funding request includes the costs of associated network cables, A/V hardware, connectors, installation by FSU Facilities and FSU Information Technology Services, and onsite DSP programming by Tiger Audio (third-party, off-campus vendor). Presently, RDCH’s A/V distribution system is in need of improvements, particularly regarding safety. Due to a lack of an all-digital networking system, staff and student crew members have to run physical cables on the ground to ensure all signals reach their target destination during rehearsals, classes, and shows. However, because the facility is so large, RDCH’s production crew often struggles to meet the technical demands of the student ensembles that perform in RDCH as they cannot run cables to every part of the hall. The cable runs also create hazardous areas where patrons and staff members could potentially trip. Additionally, the current networking system lacks stability. With no redundant network switches installed, there is no contingency plan in case of a network failure. Ultimately, converting the current A/V distribution system to one that is all-digital will not only improve the overall safety of the work environment, but also allow the RDCH staff to meet the technical demands of the student ensembles. Furthermore, it will improve the overall quality of A/V production in RDCH and provide the students who perform and work there with a fail-safe learning environment. Impact of the Project on Instruction RDCH serves first and foremost as a classroom for the College of Music. The network system upgrades would directly impact 23 College of Music courses and 41 current student workers. These courses consist of music ensembles in a multitude of departments within the College of Music, including FSU Orchestras, Opera, Bands, Choirs and the World Music department. Additionally, RDCH serves as a classroom for Intro to Biology (BSC 1005), bringing RDCH’s total student reach to 3,410 students per academic year (course listing attached in supporting documentation). The events that are produced each year in RDCH enable College of Music students at FSU to apply the performance skills they have developed through their coursework onstage for their peers, professors, and the Tallahassee community. Furthermore, these students also play a vital role in producing these concerts and events by assisting RDCH’s full-time production staff. Many of the students aspire to work in production following graduation, which includes stage management, lighting design, audio engineering, and arts administration. For this reason, it is imperative that RDCH provides a learning environment that facilitates professional growth both onstage and backstage, and one that is also safe for the student crew members to work in. Project Plan With support from the requested funding, RDCH staff can immediately purchase and install the required hardware and software components to enhance the instructional experience. Prior to and concurrent to installation, training documents will be generated for staff, students and employees. These documents will cover the tools, tasks and techniques necessary to implement the new instructional systems within the production workflow of the venue. The RDCH production staff will also conduct hands-on training workshops every semester for our student workers. These workshops will teach intermediate concepts in addition to advanced techniques. Timeline and Key Milestones I. Schedule FSU Facilities conduit installation and I.T.S. fiber installation. II. Hardware and software orders placed with vendors. III. Hardware materials expected to arrive 2-4 weeks after the order has been processed. During this time FSU Facilities and FSU ITS will install the conduit and complete fiber installation. IV. After order arrival the hardware will be installed, expected installation is 2-5 days. At this time, a representative from Tiger Audio will complete the DSP programming and system tuning. V. Once all components are installed and tested the project will be considered complete. Relationship of This Project to Other University Activities In addition to the academic courses taking place in the hall, annual University activities in RDCH include College of Medicine ceremonies, College of Motion Picture Arts screenings and ceremonies, College of Nursing graduation ceremonies, Student Government sponsored lectures and presentations, the President’s Ring ceremony presented by Student Affairs, and the Student Veteran Film Festival. In addition, the Office of the President, Provost and VP of Finance and Administration periodically host special University-wide ceremonies in RDCH. Finally, the University’s performing arts series, Opening Nights Performing Arts, also utilizes the space on multiple dates throughout the year to bring in world-class artists to work with our University students. Cost of Ongoing Support After implementation, the project will be sustained by the College of Music. These costs include personnel, any required maintenance of equipment, software purchases and upgrades. At this time, the College charges a minimal amount of rental room fees and personnel expenses to University entities. With outside entities, rental fees are accessed per client type, but a majority of these funds go back into funding personnel costs of the Ruby Diamond operation. The Biology class is also hosted without any fees assessed (rental and personnel) to their department. Overall, any income generated inside or outside the University goes back into the personnel operation of the space and there is not enough left to cover the large amounts of funds needed for classroom improvements and enhancements. For many years the College of Music has funded the personnel, maintenance, and support of RDCH without external backing. In consideration of the large number and type of events hosted on behalf of the University, we believe that this is a profitable and beneficial use of the technology fee funds at this time. Description of the Project Team Project Installation Team Mike Shapiro - Director of Audio, FSU College of Music Project Role and Qualifications: Mike Shapiro holds a Level 2 Certification in the Dante networking protocol that is required to complete the installation and successful integration of the proposed networking enhancements. Additionally, he has similar experiences working on large-scale infrastructure projects such as Digital Audio Console and Recording/Video Suites installations. For these reasons, he will serve as the lead for this project. Upon completion of this project, he will oversee all training of student workers and other full-time staff on the maintenance and operation of all hardware upgrades associated with this project. Project Budget and Administration William Fredrickson – Associate Dean for Operations, FSU College of Music. Project Role: Dr. William Fredrickson will approve all budgetary and purchasing items for this project. Heather Mayo – Assistant Director of Production and Outreach, FSU College of Music. Project Role: Heather Mayo will assist the project coordinator in production schedule coordination. Michelle Pohto – Fiscal Director, FSU College of Music. Project Role: Michelle Pohto oversees the daily operating budget management for Ruby Diamond Concert Hall and will assist in the budget oversight for this project. Supporting Documents I. Project Budget II. Price Quotes a. B&H b. Audio Tiger, Inc. c. Audio Visual Innovations d. Sweetwater – Music Education Technology Division e. Full Compass Systems III. Ruby Diamond Course List and Enrollment Numbers INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES STUDENT TECH FEE BUDGET TEMPLATE 2017-2018 Project Funding Proposal Project Details Project Title: Classroom Audio and Video Distribution Enhancement Organization or College: College of Music Department or Unit: Ruby Diamond Concert Hall Project Period: 2017 Start Date: Apr-18 End Date: May-18 I. Senior/Key Personnel (list senior and/or key personnel whose compensation will be funded through project non-recurring funds) First Name Middle Name Last Name Project Role Requested Salary Fringe Benefits Funds Requested Total Funds Requested for Senior/Key Personnel $ - II. Student & Other Personnel (insert description) Type FTE Requested Salary Fringe Benefits Funds Requested Graduate Students Undergraduate Students Other Personnel Total Funds Requested for Students & Other Personnel $ - Total Salaries, Wages & Benefits $ - III. Equipment (list items and dollar amounts for each item or multiple items of the same type, including software, with a total cost of over $2,000) ITEMS Over $2000.00 Item Description Funds Requested FSU I.T.S. Fiber Optic InstallatioInstallation of 36 Strands of Single-Mode Fiber for audio and video network distribution throughout classroom $ 12,914.06 FSU Facilities Conduit InstallatioInstallation