As the popularity of the Hammond Campus Game room increases, so do the number of broken pool cues and game pieces.

“There is damage in the room, but because of the sheer amount of people, it’s hard to keep up with [it],” said Matt Dudzik, assistant athletic director for Intramurals and Facilities.

“Sometimes the Hammond campus game room has [up] to 20 people in the room at once, so it gets quite crowded.” 

PNW operates game rooms on the Hammond Campus in SULB and the Westville Campus in the Dworkin Center, but the Hammond facility gets the heaviest use. The fact that the room is smaller than a typical classroom means that it fills up quickly, according to Dudzik.

“It … adds to the crowdedness,” he said.

That leads to the need for continuous maintenance, something Dudzik said is hard to do.

“The game room has been in a state of disrepair since I got here,” said Adam Eugene Rehlander, a Computer Engineering major. “Not saying that it’s always broken, but … some of the things used for the games here show constant signs of wear.”

Rehlander understands the game room’s heavy use makes maintenance challenging.

“I know that they are trying to keep up with [the damage] but … since it’s a lot of people who use the pool room constantly it’s unrealistic to have it fixed constantly,” said Adam Rehlander.

Constant usage of the game room during the academic day often means that objects break. Pool cues, ping pong paddles and chess pieces are commonly damaged.“Some … people often jump pool balls off the table, at one time even hitting a TV while also tearing the table,” said  Dudzik. 

He said that, since damage occurs routinely, repairs must be prioritized. Items used most often are fixed first.

“[Pool] cues are at the top of the list because of how often the tips come off, then the paddles, the tables,” said Dudzik. “Everything else is last.”