The Board of Regents has given NIU the go-ahead to pursue renovation of the Sycamore Arts Annex, used by the NIU art department, 2111R Sycamore Road, and has cleared the way for NIU to either purchase the property or continue leasing it.

At their June 23 meeting, the Regents approved NIU’s request to renovate the annex and re-negotiate the terms of the leasing agreement which was first approved in December, 1984.

Eddie Williams, NIU vice president for finance and planning, said renovations would include air conditioning, increasing the amount of available space inside the building and paving the parking lot.

Anne Kaplan, assistant to NIU President John LaTourette, said the renovation would make available “more usable space” to either lease or purchase. Under the proposal, NIU can either lease the property for $101,127 until 1995 or purchase the annex in 12 annual payments of $101,127.

NIU currently is leasing about 42,000 square feet of space at an annual cost of $64,050, Kaplan said. She said NIU is now “clear to do either,” (lease or buy) depending on the pros and cons of each choice.

The reason for the increase in rent is because of the additional space, Williams said. He said NIU now at least has the leeway to negotiate and see which alternative is better.

The Regents also authorized its member schools (NIU, Illinois State University and Sangamon State University) to allocate funds for their internal budgets prior to legislative action.

Regents Chancellor Roderick Groves said, “This action makes it possible to expend funds on the basis of expected revenue.” In other Regents business, LaTourette reported that plans were being made to finalize work on the parking lot south of Founders Memorial Library. LaTourette said the project was an important step toward solving NIU’s parking problems. “The final phase of the Wesley (Foundation) parking lot is staying within budget,” he said.

In his report to the Regents, LaTourette asked that they approve contracting the lot construction with the lowest bidder. The current low bid for the construction is from Stahl Constructon of DeKalb for $148,178.

The Regents also approved a $381,000 grant to NIU’s psychology department to study the effects of aging on hearing. The Chancellor’s Report to the Board of Regents stated the five-year project will “evaluate anatomical changes of the parts of the brain that are involved in hearing and analyze how these are affected by aging.”

Groves said he recommended the grant be approved and praised NIU for its “fine work” in psychological research.

NIU also was granted approval to offer a master of arts degree in foreign languages. Addition of the degree program was not accompanied by any recommended budget increase.