Cole Hall will be extensively remodeled as per Option Two, President John Peters said in an email Wednesday night.

Option Two calls for the renovation of Auditorium B (Room 101) to support no classroom activities, while Auditorium A (100) will still function as a lecture hall. In addition, both the interior lobby and exterior appearance of the building will also be renovated.

Peters said that the decision was based on more than 5,000 surveys they had received since announcing the three options on April 28, a majority of them supporting Option Two. Peters said a consensus will be helpful when they seek state support.

“Your voices have been heard, and I pledge to represent those wishes in the weeks and months ahead as we strive to make NIU’s critical classroom space needs a top priority across our State,” Peters said.

As a result of modifying one of the 500-seat lecture halls for non-academic use, there is still a need for an auditorium classroom, Peters said.

“Taking one 500-seat auditorium out of service requires us to replace that classroom space elsewhere on campus,” Peters said in the e-mail. “More than 12,000 students had classes in Cole Hall this academic year, so the need to replace lost instructional space is very real.”

Option Two includes plans to a construct a new lecture hall somewhere in the center campus area, but where exactly is unknown. The construction, in addition to the renovation, is expecting to cost about $7.7 million. Peters described this as “substantially less” number when compared to the proposed $40 million for the demolition of Cole Hall and the construction of a new building.

Despite the lower cost, funding for the structure is still unknown. In the initial aftermath of the tragedy, NIU experienced an outpour of support from Governor Rod Blagojevich and other state officials. Still, Peters has called for caution.

“While support for NIU remains strong in Springfield and across the State, our elected representatives are dealing with many competing priorities and a fragile state budget,” Peters said.

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