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By: Ian Essling
Facing serious opposition from concerned students and local lawmakers, the demolition plan for NIU's Cole Hall has faltered and slowed to a near stop.
In an email sent to the students and faculty of NIU on March 4, NIU President Peters announced the creation of a "February 14th. Memorial Committee." The purpose of this committee, according to Peters' email, is to solicit the opinions of students, faculty, alumni and families, in order to "develop ideas for a fitting memorial."
Peters announced a "three phase process" that will involve the newly formed committee collecting and organizing the suggestions on the future of Cole Hall. At the present time, the hall will remain closed, but no steps will be taken to tear the structure down.
This reversal is significant; it stands in stark contrast to the sure-fire statements put forth by Peters and Gov. Blagojevich at the press conference last week, when both leaders stated unequivocally that the building would be taken down. However, as that plan quickly came under fire from many sides, its supporters were forced to re-evaluate their stance.
Part of the pressure to reconsider the decision came from a student group that coalesced online within hours of the Feb. 27 press conference; one of the key leaders of this opposition group was Amy Genova, an anthropology/archaeology graduate student at NIU.
Genova, along with several colleagues, created the Facebook group "Preserve NIU's Cole Hall" immediately after the press conference. According to Genova, the group was reaction to a decision the group felt was made without the "consultation of the greater NIU community, students, faculty [and] staff."
"Our original intention [for the group] was to find out whether or not other students, faculty, and staff disagreed with the proposed legislation," Genova said.
The group quickly ballooned up to several hundred members, and the discussion board of the group became the site of lively and spirited debate regarding the future of the building.
Genova and the other administrators of the Facebook group sent a lengthy email to Peters the day after the press conference, and also contacted State Representative Robert Pritchard (R-DeKalb) and State Senator Brad Burzynski (R-Sycamore) to express their concerns.
Both lawmakers responded "immediately," according to Genova.
"Burzynski wrote in an e-mail that the proposed legislation was to be revised, and that more community voice will be involved. Pritchard contacted me via telephone and expressed similar sentiments," she said. "Both men have been truly amazing, and I value their hard efforts to make certain that all voices be heard this time around."
The group also organized a petition that has been signed by over 1300 students, faculty and alumni. Those signing the petition essentially stated that they were in favor of calling a general community assembly to address all options regarding the future of Cole Hall.
Genova explained that the goal of the petition was to educate the community as to the options and consequences involved with the various choices for Cole Hall's future, and also to ensure that all sides of the issue were able to voice their opinions. The intended recipient of the petition is Brian Hemphill, NIU Vice-President of Student Affairs.
"Because we had no formal venue to discuss our thoughts and opinions regarding the matter, [the online group and petition are] all we had," Genova said. "After seeing the reactions of my fellow community members, I knew that we needed to combine efforts and make sure that our voices were heard regardless if one was in favor of the demolition or not."
"The petition was and still is a movement for the community to move 'Forward, Together Forward' without forgetting who we are and why we need to support each other in such times of tragedy."
Despite her leadership role in the group, Genova quickly pointed out that the project would have never been possible without the support of the hundreds of members of the Facebook group, as well as all those who signed the petition.
"I believe everyone deserves credit," she said. "Those who signed placed their personal opinions aside to advocate a community voice, even if that meant their voice would receive opposition."
The debate about Cole Hall's future is likely to continue for some time given the passion and fervor shown by both sides. Genova said she simply wants more community input before a decision is made final.
"As an archaeology graduate student in the anthropology department, I understand the importance of monumental structures standing for future generations," Genova said. "Even though I would like to see Cole Hall stand as a memorial in testament to the five lives tragically lost [in the shooting], I want the community to make this decision together." 
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