March 4th, 2008
Northern Illinois University President John Peters today defended his $40 million plan to raze Cole Hall, where a gunman killed five students plus himself, and replace it with another building nearby.
But in a letter to the NIU community, Peters also backed away from that plan and solicited greater community input.
The punch line, in three parts, is here:
I have expressed my own view that we should decommission Cole Hall as a classroom building. I made that judgment after talking with scores of students, parents, faculty and alumni who told me they could not fathom returning to Cole Hall to teach or study.
And here:
In the days that have followed that tragic event, different voices and opinions have emerged, and we must take in all those viewpoints before moving forward.
And here:
In the spirit of shared governance, I pledge to do all I can to facilitate the expression of all opinions.
The Peters letter came a day after Sen. Brad Burzynski, R-Clare, threw water on the $40 million rebuilding plan by calling it “off the table.” Burzynski backed the plan last Wednesday, when Gov. Rod Blagojevich visted NIU and announced it together with Peters, but said Monday he decided it was not fiscally prudent.
For his part, the governor has done nothing to publicly mitigate the blow to Peters’ rebuilding plan. Blagojevich took ownership of that plan during his announcement last week, but on Monday his aides stepped clear of it by saying they’re planning to support what NIU leaders want.
In other words, the governor’s office declined to defend the rebuilding plan and left it up to NIU to fight for it.
Here is the full letter from President Peters, and it is also posted here:
Dear Students and Colleagues,
It has been nearly three weeks since the tragic events of February 14. It would be unreasonable to expect our campus to have moved on without remnants of fear, anxiety or grief. Our family has been injured, and we turn inward to comfort each other and gather strength for the journey ahead. The tremendous response from across our campus and the overwhelming appreciation we have gained for each other is a testament to the strong sense of community that defines NIU.
All of us have seen wonderful expressions of caring over the past few weeks - kindnesses both large and small, from people we see every day and people we have never met. The outpouring of support from far and near has been a great inspiration, and we remain indebted to all who have offered a hand in our time of need - counselors, religious leaders, community members, colleagues from across the country - all those who have reached out have offered a healing touch at a difficult time. We can never repay them, but we can and must offer our heartfelt thanks for their generosity.
Even as we acknowledge our loss and express our gratitude we must also look forward, as we have family business to attend to. Three key issues present themselves for our consideration:
First, we must decide how we want to memorialize that which has been lost - precious lives, a sense of security, our belief in the sanctity of an open campus. Part of our healing process must involve a family discussion about these issues and how to express our feelings through a permanent legacy. Our goal is to create a special place on our campus where generations of the NIU family can come to remember those we lost and reflect on what we can each do to honor their legacy. To that end, I am forming a February 14th Memorial Committee, chaired by Vice President for Advancement Mike Malone and including students, faculty, staff, families and alumni, to solicit opinions and develop ideas for a fitting memorial. That memorial will be made possible through private donations and will represent the best thinking of a broad-based NIU group.
Second, we must address the very real space needs brought about by the closure of Cole Hall. Much has been written on this topic in recent days, but little of that discourse has come from our campus community. I want to make sure that the most important voices in this debate - those of our students, faculty and staff - are heard and heeded. Student government is already working on this issue, gathering opinions and discussing options. Provost Ray Alden and Paul Stoddard, executive secretary of the University Council are likewise assessing campus views on our immediate, mid-range and long-term space needs related to the closure of Cole Hall. The domino-effect of class space reallocation has impacted nearly 10,000 students in more than 150 class sections. The Provost’s work group, consisting of faculty, staff and students, is looking carefully at all of the details involved in short- medium- and long-term replacement of instructional space lost in the Cole Hall closure.
Third, we must engage in a campus-wide discussion about the future of Cole Hall. Immediately following the tragic shootings on February 14, we closed Cole Hall through the end of this fiscal year. We now face the question of what to do with this facility in the future. Our answer should represent a consensus opinion formulated by all members of our campus community. We must decide whether to remove the building or keep it; to reopen it in its present form or change its purpose or configuration. Any decision carries emotional and financial costs. I have expressed my own view that we should decommission Cole Hall as a classroom building. I made that judgment after talking with scores of students, parents, faculty and alumni who told me they could not fathom returning to Cole Hall to teach or study. In the days that have followed that tragic event, different voices and opinions have emerged, and we must take in all those viewpoints before moving forward. In the spirit of shared governance, I pledge to do all I can to facilitate the expression of all opinions. To that end, we have established a confidential email mailbox (colehall@niu.edu) to which any and all members of our community may submit opinions. Ultimately, our decisions on an appropriate memorial, reassignment of classroom spaces and the future of Cole Hall must address both the emotional and practical considerations we face as an injured but united campus community.
Once consensus is reached, it will be up to the NIU family to communicate our needs to our state leaders and ask for assistance in meeting those needs. We know all too well the fiscal constraints facing our state, and we remain mindful of that reality even as we advocate for our campus. I remain confident that our elected officials and the citizens of this state will step forward at the appropriate time to assist NIU in addressing our classroom space issues.
Finally, I want to thank all of you for the efforts you have made to welcome back our students and resume our university life following our tragedy. We are by no means done with our grieving, and we know that healing is a long journey with many bumps along the way. Yet I could not be more proud of this wonderful NIU family. We have found the best in ourselves and in each other - let us never forget that. I remain, as always, in your debt and most grateful to be a part of NIU.
Sincerely,
John G. Peters
President
UPDATE 1
The Register Star’s story this morning includes comment from Cherilyn Murer, chair of NIU’s board of trustees:
Murer said it’s important for the community to view NIU’s plan for a memorial separately from its need to accommodate students displaced from Cole Hall, a centrally located building with two lecture halls.
She said NIU leaders do want community input relative to a memorial. But as to how the university decides to handle classroom space, she said, “These are internal matters.”
“That doesn’t usually come for (a) vote in the community,” she said of infrastructure considerations.
Murer also responded to critics of NIU’s response, saying they lacked the perspective she gained from touring Cole Hall after the shootings.
“I did take issue with people saying it’s just like if somebody dies in your house,” she said.
“Well, it isn’t like if someone dies in your house. It was a massacre in there, and there was blood all over the walls and the floor. It was an area where you knew you could not have students return to that building to be educated.”
March 4th, 2008
The Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees never had a meeting concerning the controversial plan to raze Cole Hall and replace it with another facility.
So said Barbara Giorgi Vella, a trustee from Rockford, in a phone conversation on Tuesday. However, she said NIU President John Peters made clear that the $40 million rebuilding plan was his priority, and she wanted to help.
“We didn’t have any meetings about this,” she said. “He just said off the cuff, ‘Gee it’s going to be hard to replace this building, and some of the kids are uncomfortable coming back. It’s going to be a problem and we need more space.’ That’s how, I guess, it came about.”
She added, “At some point the governor was saying, ‘What can the state do to help NIU get through this crisis.’ So that’s how it started. I don’t too much else to be honest with you.”
Did she like the plan?
“I didn’t have any opinion at the time, in other words against or for,” she said. “I just wanted to do what was most efficient and best for the students, really. I didn’t have any agenda either way.”
Yesterday, Sen. Brad Burzynski, R-Clare, threw cold water on the $40 million plan, saying it’s “off the table.” Giorgi Vella, daughter of the legendary late Rep. “Zeke” Giorgi from Rockford, said it appeared the plan became mired in political considerations.
“Unfortunately, it’s become tied up in all sorts of other things,” she said. “I can’t even venture to comment. I am not political. I just gather that all kinds of things have come to pass and bear.”
UPDATE 1
Joan Laurino, an aide in NIU’s external affairs office, just called and said Peters and Kathryn Buettner, the university’s VP of external affairs, have no comment on Burzynski’s remarks.
I’m still waiting to hear whether Peters remains committed to the $40 million rebuilding plan.
March 3rd, 2008
Sen. Brad Burzynski, R-Clare, said Monday that he doesn’t think NIU’s plan to replace Cole Hall, where a gunman recently killed five students plus himself, is going anywhere.
“Demolition is going to be taken off the table, and what I think is going to occur now is there is going to be discussion on campus of if there is good use for the building, what it should be and those kinds of things,” Burzynski said.
Our below post on this topic was getting far too long, but if want some more background on this rapidly evolving story please go here.
Burzynski said he was surprised by some elements of the $40 million plan to replace Cole Hall. After the excitement died down, Burzynski said he realized selling $40 million in bonds would not be fiscally prudent.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich, together with NIU President John Peters, announced the plan at NIU last Wednesday. Burzynski and Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Sycamore, stood with them.
“Everyone got caught up in the governor’s announcement and willingness to try to help the university,” Burzynski said.Pritchard on Monday stood by his earlier position to help the university with its most pressing need – additional classrooms. He said solving the need for more classrooms may evolve as the NIU community and the Legislature continues to discuss the future of Cole Hall.
“We may come up with a plan that may look a little different than it is today,” Pritchard said.
Pritchard stopped short of concurring with Burzynski’s harsh assessment, saying it was not clear to him whether the $40 million rebuilding plan would get anywhere.
“Any legislation has to go through a process of input from both citizens and legislators, and as more people have time to weigh in on that decision, it is always typical that things could change,” he said.
UPDATE 1 — by AC
NIU officials today did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
March 3rd, 2008
Sen. Brad Burzynski, R-Clare, stood beside Gov. Rod Blagojevich last week when the governor announced a plan to demolish NIU’s Cole Hall, where a gunman in February killed five people and himself, and replace it with another facility.
Blagojevich, together with NIU President John Peters, called on lawmakers to immediately find $40 million for the project. Burzynski expressed support for the plan and said he would work with the governor to shepherd the plan through the Legislature.
But Burzynski is now distancing himself from the plan. Here is a letter he wrote to constituents:
Thank you for writing to express your concerns relative to the NIU tragedy and the Governor’s response regarding a new building. As you can imagine, those most closely associated with this tragedy have been through a tremendous amount of emotional and physical stress.
After the Governor’s announcement on Wednesday, my phones and email have been quite busy! Now that the Governor has gotten his “press pop,” we have already begun re-evaluating what needs to be done to accommodate the students on campus, not what needs to be done to accommodate the Governor.
During the next few weeks, I believe you will see a concerted effort by all facets of the university community and the Legislature to determine what immediate needs are necessary to accommodate the space required for displaced students. Discussion about demolishing Cole Hall will cease, but the building will remain closed at this time; a decision, by the way, that I agree with, at least in the short term.
In closing, please remember these have been emotional times on campus and in our community. It is now time for us to take a step back, re-evaluate recent actions and announcements made by the Governor, and then move forward.
Best wishes,
State Senator J. Bradley Burzynski, 35th District
Assistant Republican Senate Leader
1101 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore, IL 60178
UPDATED X1 — by A.Z.
A few hours before Burzynski took the stage with Blagojevich last Wednesday to announce the rebuilding plans he spoke with me about the few details he knew.
At the time, he said he believed razing Cole Hall was the right thing to do. Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Sycamore, also supported the plan:
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.”
UPDATE 2
Just this morning, the governor’s office insisted it was working with Buryznski and Pritchard to craft the governor’s plan. When I e-mailed the governor’s office asking when they planned to produce the actual legislation necessary to implement the plan, Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch responded:
We are working with Rep. Pritchard and Sen. Burzynski to finalize the language before introducing it probably later this week.
I subsequently asked the governor’s office to respond to Burzynski’s letter, noting that Burzynski all but accused the governor of exploiting the NIU tragedy for political gain. The governor’s office has not responded.
UPDATE 3
Over the weeked, the AP published a story that foreshadowed Burzynski and Pritchard’s changed view of the governor’s rebuilding plan. The story included this:
Two lawmakers who represent DeKalb, where NIU is located, said they’re open to replacing Cole Hall, though they’re not backing any particular proposal.
“Nothing has been introduced yet,” Sen. Brad Burzynski said. “What that will entail at this point in time will probably not be what the governor envisioned.”
Rep. Robert Pritchard said he has received calls from alumni, students and community members.
“People think the governor reacted too quickly and that he’s calling for a solution that hasn’t thoroughly been discussed so that people can understand it … to see if the solution matches the need,” he said.
UPDATE 4
We should note that NIU President Peters has gone out of his way to say that he — and not the governor — took the initiative to develop the rebuilding the plan.
The fact is that Blagojevich is horribly unpopular with many legislators, maybe the vast majority of them, and NIU may have doomed this initiative by making — or allowing the governor to make — Blagojevich its public face. Lawmakers don’t trust him and they’re suspicious of his motives.
When Blagojevich joined Peters at NIU last Wednesday to make the announcement, more than a few folks around the Capitol wondered whether Blagojevich was seizing an opportunity to deflect attention from the corruption trial of his pal Rezko.
As I said above, Peters has gone out of his way to say that he — and not the governor — is driving this plan. But like I also said, Blagojevich has precious little credibility.
UPDATE 5
Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch just responded to Burzynski’s letter with this one-sentence statement:
We stand by President Peters and the NIU community and will continue to
support their decisions on how best to move forward.
It is not clear from that statement whether Blagojevich is still pursuing the $40 million rebuilding plan.
UPDATE 6
Speaking of politicking on public tragedy, Blagojevich apparently will try today to correct his blooper at the Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago.
After the historic church was gutted by a fire in 2006, Blagojevich swooped in and promised the church $1 million. Only, as the Sun-Times reported this morning, the church never got the money.
Blagojevich made his election-year commitment to the ”rebuilding of the Pilgrim Baptist Church” by stressing the money would have to go toward fixing a destroyed, adjoining church building that housed offices and classroom space but wasn’t used for religious services.
But in March 2007, that money instead went to a private school that leased space from Pilgrim Baptist but has no other church affiliation. No state money has come to rebuild the charred administrative and school building, as Blagojevich promised, prompting church leaders and at least one state lawmaker to question whether Blagojevich had lived up to his word.
The governor’s office just notified the media that the governor will appear at the church today at 2 p.m. for “an announcement.”
UPDATE 7 — by A.Z.
Before Wednesday’s news conference, Burzynski also told me this:
“I think that that (finding the money to pay for the proposal) certainly will be a concern of some legislators. I think, from my standpoint, this is the right thing to do. The decision has been made to raze Cole Hall and to move forward. … I think we will be able to pass this out of the Senate with no problem.”
After the news hit the fan, so to speak, we corralled our other local legislators and asked their opinions on the proposal. As a whole, they disagreed with the proposal and their reactions were par with much of the General Assembly.
By Thursday afternoon, I caught up with Burzynski in the Senate chamber, and asked him about the overwhelmingly negative reactions from his colleagues.
His optimistic tune was not quite as cheery as it was on Wednesday. He said his main focus right now was on helping NIU deal with its classroom space issues in the interim.
“I think what we really need to do is focus on the fact that that hall cannot be used really for the rest of this year and the rest of next year. So what are we going to do in the meantime? We are going to have to be able to look and make sure the students are getting the educational opportunity they need in the facilities that are left on campus. That’s the real issue for me is to how we move that ball forward.”
So would you be willing to consider re-opening Cole Hall, I asked.
“Well, perhaps not as a classroom, but if there was some other activity that could be conducted in that facility. And that’s something that we will be looking at. … People agree that they really don’t think that Cole Hall is a suitable building, at this point, to put kids in,” Burzynski said.
UPDATE 8
Back to the Pilgrim Baptist Church ordeal, Blagojevich this afternoon issued this news release:
Gov. Blagojevich provides $1 million grant agreement to Pilgrim Baptist Church to help rebuild
Governor straightens out bureaucratic mix-up
CHICAGO – In response to reports that $1 million in funds intended to help rebuild the historic Pilgrim Baptist Church did not meet that purpose, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today announced plans to fulfill the 2006 commitment. The Governor was joined by Deacon Robert Vaughn and other leaders from Pilgrim Baptist in signing a grant agreement that solidifies the commitment.
The Governor is designating $1 million in available capital funds that are intended for the development and improvement of educational and human service facilities. The church operates a food pantry, senior citizen programs, after-school programs for teens and other non-religious service programs that qualify.
“There was never any doubt in my mind that the Governor was fully committed to our church and our community,” said Robert H. Vaughn, Chairman of the Pilgrim Baptist Church Board of Trustees. “I and all the members of my congregation deeply appreciate the Governor’s help in restoring our administrative facilities so that we can again provide vital services to the Bronzeville community and beyond.”
The Church burned down on January 6, 2006, destroying everything inside, including rows of murals by William E. Scott and priceless records of black history in Chicago. Pilgrim Baptist Church, designed in the late 1800s by the famous architectural firm headed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, had been in the midst of a renovation project when it burned down. It is considered to be the birthplace of gospel music and a spiritual backbone for Chicago.
Blagojevich and his people truly refuse to concede error — i.e. accept responsibility for failure — on any point.
Rather than directly acknowledge that his administration dropped the ball by failing to get the $1 million to the church, as the governor said he would, he points to a “bureaucratic mix-up” and news “reports.”
Amazing.
UPDATE 9
More on the Pilgrim Baptist Church funding blooper: Blagojevich reportedly acknowledged this afternoon that the $1 million intended for the church went to the “wrong place.”
The AP reports:
Governor Rod Blagojevich is giving $1 million to the historic Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago because the initial $1 million grant he pledged to the burned out church mistakenly went somewhere else.
Blagojevich says the first $1 million went to a preschool that had been using space at the church before it was destroyed in a 2006 fire.
He says that money went to ”the wrong place.”
Does that count as conceding error? It’s close.
UPDATE 10
At least one lawmaker is alarmed by the parallel between the administration’s botched attempt to help Pilgrim Baptist Church and the governor’s plan to send $40 million in state money to NIU:
(Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby) Ottenhoff said there are ”plenty of cases where the governor has said he wanted to provide money to address a certain problem that he’s encountered along the way and we’ve done so.”
One example she cited was the controversial $3 million commitment he made to a campaign donor to help build a minor-league baseball stadium in Downstate Marion.
But Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) said the promises made to Pilgrim Baptist Church are characteristic of Blagojevich and ought to give pause to those at NIU wanting state money to raze Cole Hall.
”In both instances, the governor took a tragedy and just came in and attempted to portray himself as the rescuer. The guy is a complete opportunist,” she said.
”He has absolutely no shame about using any kind of difficult situation or tragedy to make himself look good.”
February 27th, 2008
Gov. Rod Blagojevich today urged the General Assembly to give Northern Illinois University $40 million to help replace Cole Hall, where the Feb. 14 deadly shooting took place.
Earlier today, the governor and NIU officials announced the plan to demolish Cole Hall and replace it with a new, state-of-the-art building named Memorial Hall.
It is still unclear how much the total project would cost, but the governor, flanked by Rep. Robert Pritchard and Sen. Brad Burzynski, said in his news release that the state should give NIU $40 million to help rebuild. The governor’s spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.
Pritchard and Burzynski agreed to sponsor the legislation to get the money, to “cover the cost of building Memorial Hall,” according to the release.
Also according to the release, university officials decided against re-oepening Cole Hall, and drew up the plan to demolish and construct a new building, which would take about two years.
Portions of the news release are below:
DEKALB – To honor the victims and help the student body move forward, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich joined NIU President John G. Peters, legislators and students today at Northern Illinois University (NIU) to announce new plans for Cole Hall, the scene of the tragic shooting that claimed the lives of five students and injured 17 more. Gov. Blagojevich said that he will introduce emergency funding legislation and work with state Sen. J. Bradley Burzynski (R-Sycamore) and state Rep. Robert Pritchard (R-Sycamore) to provide the University with $40 million for the project. Cole Hall will be demolished and replaced with a state-of-the-art classroom building to be named “Memorial Hall”.
…
Memorial Hall will be a modern facility designed to accommodate the needs of today’s students. The new building will be approximately 40 percent larger than Cole Hall and will contain up to ten classrooms of varying sizes, three smart classroom auditoriums with capacity seating of approximately 250 each, instructional and media production computer labs, and additional office, storage and support space. The new building will be centrally located on campus in near proximity or in the same proximity as Cole Hall. Cole Hall is slated for demolition this Spring. The new building is expected to open in late 2010 or early 2011.
…
Built in 1968, Cole Hall has been a staple for NIU’s academic programs and large general classes. The building houses the campus’ larges lecture halls, which are in great demand given the university’s rapid student growth. In addition to the auditoriums, Cole Hall houses Anthropology and Journalism space in the basement level. …
UPDATE 1
Sen. Brad Burzynski said the entire cost of the project will be $40 million.
Also earlier, he said the NIU administration brought the plan to the state, after consulting with other universities that had endured similar tragedies, such as Virginia Tech.
