Monday night, NIU President John Peters addressed students and staff regarding the future of Cole Hall. A mass e-mail from Peters discussed possible renovation options for the lecture hall, and survey results from the past six weeks.

Three possible renovations are being considered and all three options will cost “significantly” less than late February’s Memorial Hall renovation plan. Responses will be accepted until noon Friday.

Renovation Options

The first option suggests renovating both Cole Hall auditoriums, continued use as a lecture hall, but with significant changes and functionality.

The second option involves renovating Auditorium A (Room 100) as a lecture hall, while remodeling Auditorium B (101) to support no classroom activities.

The third option is to renovate both auditoriums to support no classroom activities.

Options two and three require the development of a large lecture hall somewhere else on campus. All options focus on use of the first floor with little to no change to the basement area.

“Cole Hall renovation plans can only be realized with broad support from this campus community and those who represent the citizens of our state,” Peters said in the e-mail.

“Non-classroom use” suggested ideas include museum space, a student lounge, a computer lab, office space, and conference rooms.