The future of Cole Hall

February 27th, 2008 at 06:26pm Jeniece Smith

On Tuesday, I attended class for the first time since the shooting Feb. 14. Everywhere I looked on campus, there were signs proclaiming, “Forward, together forward,” a message of hope taken from the lyrics of the “Huskie Fight Song.”

The university distributed black and red ribbons for students to pin on, provided counselors to give presentations in every class, and handed out reading materials on dealing with the emotional and mental impacts of violence. All of my professors lightened their students’ workload for the first week back in class. One professor canceled quizzes for the rest of the week. Another passed out an exam originally scheduled for Thursday, allotting us one week to complete it at home and hand it in. In my other classes, heavy reading and editing assignments were postponed.

Although all of this helped immensely, it was still incredibly difficult to pass right by Cole Hall on my way to classes in neighboring buildings, so I was relieved when I heard about the potential plan to demolish Cole. The future of the building has been a common topic for discussion among students since the day of the shooting. I’m not at all thrilled about Blagojevich trying to “own” the project, but I think it’s still a good project, nonetheless, even though it would certainly be best undertaken without the Gov’s – ahem – blessing.

Among the students I’ve talked to, it has been almost universally agreed upon that Cole Hall should be permanently closed, although some students are saying that it should be closed but not be razed. They argue that the structure, itself, is a memorial, but an empty, unused building is neither practical nor a memorial.

The costs of undertaking the Memorial Hall project are high, but the university needs a new facility somewhere on campus to replace Cole. Memorial Hall will not be built where Cole stood. Instead, a “green space” or memorial statue will be created there, and Memorial Hall will be constructed elsewhere.

I am taken back to the fear and chaos of Feb. 14 every time I walk past Cole Hall. A memorial built in its place would commemorate the lives of the students who died and give the NIU community a place to go and honor them.

Entry Filed under: Jeniece Smith