In the depths of the Stevens Building, a staff member spends time in an office that used to be a restroom – sink and all.

The building that houses NIU’s School of Theatre and Dance and department of anthropology also has a computer lab in a former janitor’s closet and mold growing in areas, said Alex Gelman, director of the School of Theater and Dance.

The heating and cooling systems in the building do not work consistently or well, especially when seasons change, Gelman said.

Mark Scott, a junior history education major who takes an anthropology class in the Stevens Building, said the windows in his classroom are screwed shut and the heat still runs, even at this time of year.

“I think it was last Thursday it was probably 90 degrees in there,” Scott said. “It was hot; you could taste the heat.”

The building is also not compliant with the American Disabilities Act because there are no elevators, Gelman said.

Some effort has been made to ease the problems in the Stevens Building, but there has never been a full renovation, Gelman said.

Bob Albanese, associate vice president of Finance and Facilities, said he thought the Stevens Building was built in the 1960s and would cost $12 to $15 million to renovate.

The Stevens Building has been the No. 1 campus priority for the Illinois Board of Higher Education for at least five years, Albanese said.

The IBHE on Feb. 1 recommended $18,926,700 to fund the Stevens Building renovation project. The funding is not guaranteed until the Illinois legislature approves it, which will likely be decided after the Illinois State Budget is evaluated by the end of May, Albanese said.

With a remodeling, the building could be more appropriately used to fit the growing theater and dance program, especially with a new black box theater and scene shop, Gelman said.

Sophomore theater major Sarah Albritton said students also usually have rehearsal in the building for about four hours a night. The poor conditions could turn away potential students even though the theater program is exceptional, she said.