Lincoln Hall waits for stalled funding

By Rachel Small

The already quiet Lincoln Hall will only be getting emptier as the University begins the Spring 2009 semester.

While $9 million was recently allocated to exterior building repairs, the University has yet to receive promised state funding for the approximately $55 million in renovations for the building.

Meanwhile, the historic building will be seeing less activity as needed renovations continue to be delayed.

“This semester we have not been holding classes in Lincoln Hall; however, we have been having a limited amount of student groups and exams,” said Jen Themanson, associate registrar for facility management and scheduling. “It will not be used for classes in the spring.”

At the beginning of the fall semester, more of the building was in use, including the basement. Currently, only the first floor is being used.

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Teaching assistants for the Department of Communication were working out of Lincoln Hall’s basement at the start of the fall semester. They were later moved up to the first floor because of possible health hazards, and then again moved to their current office on Sixth Street.

“I think it’s definitely far from ideal, but its been a very nice move for us in terms of work environment and being able to collaborate with other grad students,” said Stephen DiDomenico, graduate student and teaching assistant. “We’re all in the same space now. Before we were separated throughout Lincoln Hall and that first floor. It’s been good, although our ideal situation, obviously, would be to be in Lincoln Hall, renovated.”

The $9 million for repairs was allocated during a meeting of the Academic Facilities Maintenance Fund Assessment board.

Student body president Jaclyn O’Day, senior in LAS, said the $9 million for exterior repairs will prevent the building from further water and filtration damage until more funding can be obtained.

O’Day said she hopes the state will come through with the promised funds, but is not counting on it.

“Currently, with the state’s budget, I don’t think it’s going to be on the top of the government’s list,” O’Day said. “It didn’t pass last year, but you never know.”

“While everyone is hopeful, it’s not an optimism at all,” said Lhea Randle, chair of the Illinois Student Senate committee on outreach and senior in LAS. “Some people may be a little more pessimistic, but overall, of course we would hope that the state would fund projects like that.”

Randle was involved in deciding how to allocate the Academic Facilities Maintenance Fund Assessment fees and said there was a general acceptance of Lincoln Hall’s importance at the meeting.

“On the committee, I think that this was really well-resonated between everybody in the room,” Randle said. “There was an effort to increase the funds.”

Randle said she feels the building is symbolic, as is the state’s failure to provide funds for it.

While final exams will be held in Lincoln Hall, Themanson said they will be continuing to move people out of the building.

“From a campus standpoint, from a scheduling standpoint: limited events, no classes,” said Themanson.