February 27th, 2008
Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, objected to plans to replace Cole Hall with Memorial Hall in a press release:
Syverson supports honoring NIU victims, questions whether new building is right approach
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2008/bc
SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) agrees the victims of the Northern Illinois University (NIU) shooting should be honored in a respectful way, however he questions whether demolishing Cole Hall and constructing a new facility is the right approach.
“I think everyone agrees a tragedy of this magnitude should be recognized in some way,” Syverson said. “But razing Cole Hall and constructing a new building isn’t necessarily the right approach. It will likely be a major financial commitment in the tens of millions of dollars at a time our state budget is facing a $1 billion budget deficit. I believe we can honor the victims of this tragedy, and do it in a fiscally responsible way.”
One possibility, Syverson suggested, is the creation of scholarships in the names of the shooting victims that could be developed through private partnerships – scholarships that could last for perpetuity. Another option would be to rename Cole Hall “Memorial Hall” – the name of the proposed new building – and to create an appropriate memorial in or around the current facility.
“I am 100 percent behind paying tribute to the victims, and helping NIU move past this tragic event,” Syverson reiterated. “But let’s not rush into anything. We should take an appropriate amount of time to come up with something that balances the need for remembrance with the need to ensure our state budget remains fiscally sound.”
Syverson also noted the proposed new building comes at a time tuition costs have skyrocketed in Illinois, rising by 50 percent in a few short years. He says part of the reason is the lack of a commitment by state leaders in funding higher education.
“We need to be thinking about how we can better help college students, not just at Northern Illinois University, but around our state,” Syverson said. “Tuition is rising at alarming levels, and families are struggling to put their students through college. Let’s look at ways of alleviating this burden – and perhaps the funding being proposed for this new building could be used for that purpose.”
February 27th, 2008
Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s schedule:
**Governor’s Public Schedule**
For TODAY, Wednesday, February 27, 2008
DEKALB – Governor Rod R. Blagojevich will join NIU President John G. Peters, local legislators and students today at Northern Illinois University (NIU) to announce state funding that will enable the university to demolish Cole Hall, the scene of the tragic shooting that claimed the lives of five students and injured 17 more, and replace it with a state-of-the-art general classroom building to be named “Memorial Hall”.
WHO:
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich
NIU President John G. Peters
Jarvis K. Purnell, President, NIU Student Association
State Senator Bradley Burzynski
State Representative Robert Pritchard
WHAT:
Gov. Blagojevich and NIU announce plans for Cole Hall.
WHEN: 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: In front of Cole Hall
(Cole Hall is located in the center of campus, near the visitor parking lot on Carroll Avenue)
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
UPDATE 1
There’s no question the governor’s announcement will tug at the heart strings of thousands around this state, and perhaps even the nation. It doesn’t get much more dramatic that destroying the building in which evil occurred.
But questions remain about how exactly Blagojevich will pull this off.
As you may know, seemingly every infrastructure project that’s worth doing in this state is contingent on passage of a capital plan. So the first question is: Will funding for this project depend on passage of a capital plan?
If the answer to that question is yes, the next question is: Is it fair to get everybody all excited about the prospect of a “Memorial Hall” in place of the shooting site when there is no capital plan and it’s not clear when the state might actually have one?
If this building project would not depend on a capital plan, then where exactly is the money coming from? And what bills will the state not be able to pay so that it may replace the building?
UPDATE 2
This doesn’t pertain directly to NIU or Cole Hall, but it certainly will be forefront on the minds of reporters covering the governor’s appearance today: Will Blagojevich finally acknowledge that he is “Public Official A,” a central figure in a federal corruption probe, now that a judge has outed him?
Yes, I know that may seem insensitive to mention that. But the fact is that Blagojevich went into hiding yesterday, the day after the “Public Official A” revelation, and his aides refused to answer questions about it. His visit today to NIU will mark his first public appearance since it became official that Blagojevich is “Public Official A.”
Frankly, knowing Blagojevich’s consistent track record (he and his staff work extra hard, after each of his crises, to deflect the public’s attention elsewhere), I must wonder whether his staff cooked up this event on the fly to deliberately cause a diversion from a growing media focus on the federal probe.
In any case, Blagojevich is taking a risk today. He and his staff may think that they can keep the media’s attention focused on NIU and Cole Hall. But it’s hard to imagine that questions — if Blagojevich’s staff even allows them — will turn to the federal probe before the public appearance is over. That could lead to lots of shouting by both reporters and the governor’s staff. And that, in turn, could put NIU President Peters and hundreds of mourning, everyday people in an especially awkward spot.
UPDATE 3 by AZ
The proposed demolition of Cole Hall and construction of Memorial Hall will not depend on a capital plan, lawmakers say, and that’s good news for NIU. As noted above, it’s not clear when the Legislature will ever agree on the massive construction proposal.
Sen. Brad Burzynski and Rep. Robert Pritchard said they are drafting emergency legislation that will deal specifically with the building’s construction, which could take two years to build. There would be two bills: one to authorize the sale of bonds to pay for the project and one to give NIU the authority to spend the money.
It takes a three-fifths majority in both chambers of the Legislature to authorize bonding. The lawmakers said it was not clear on Wednesday morning where the state would find the money to pay off the bonds.
Burzynski said the money to pay off the loan would probably come from the state’s general fund, but because the legislation is not drafted yet details are still unclear. The general fund is the state’s central account for operating expenses.
“I’m confident we will be able to find a revenue stream to pay for these particular bonds,” said Burzynski, R-Clare.
And if he can’t find the money in the state’s coffers?
“We will cross that bridge when we get there,” he said.
Pritchard, R-Sycamore, said he doesn’t believe the logjam in Springfield will be a problem.
“We can’t allow government just to shut down because of personalities or lack of leadership or whatever other adjectives you want to say,” Pritchard said. “We have to address the needs of the citizens of Illinois.”
Before the shooting, every NIU undergraduate had a class in Cole Hall, which was built in 1968. Prtichard said about 150 classes were held each week in the building, including several large lectures.
Pritchard said university officials have moved Cole Hall classes into other buildings, but may build temporary structures until the new building is finished.
Sadly, the university has several other schools to look for examples of how to deal with a building where a deadly shooting occurred. Fellow Register Star reporters looked at this issue here.
Pritchard and Burzynski said the university is still computing the cost of razing and constructing a new building. The NIU public affairs office could not be reached.
Pritchard said the new building likely will be modeled after NIU’s new College of Business building, Barsema Hall, which is pictured here.
UPDATE 4
Sen. Burzynski said he believes the idea to replace Cole Hall originated with NIU officials, and not with the Blagojevich administration.
