On Topic Episode 71: Chargeback Nation

May 15

Written By AVSF

Recorded May 1, 2026

In this episode, the crew tackles the cursed middle ground of campus AV: spaces that are technically classrooms, sort of event venues, occasionally multipurpose rooms, and absolutely someone else’s problem until the microphone dies five minutes before the dean walks in.

The discussion starts with classrooms hiding inside dorms, performance venues moonlighting as lecture halls, performing arts spaces being asked to behave like standard teaching rooms, and the eternal mystery of “who exactly is moving the lectern back?” From there, the panel wanders into the even darker woods of off-campus support, county extension locations, pseudo-university spaces, rented venues, service agreements, chargebacks, lifecycle planning, and the dangerous phrase “just give us your standard classroom setup.”

Along the way, they discover that standards are not just a pile of boxes, support does not magically travel across counties, and transparent lecterns are only classy until the glue yellows and everyone can see the wires.

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