In a statement made Friday, Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard announced that, due to the prolonged lack of revenue, the athletics department is recommending the indefinite closure of the C.Y. Stephens Auditorium, including the cancellation of future shows.

“The revenues generated from community members attending performing arts at C.Y. Stephens’ are simply not enough to cover the costs of facility operations,” Pollard said in his announcement letter. “The facility has significant deferred maintenance issues which would require another $25M to $50M to bring the building up to today’s standards. As a result of the significant financial challenges facing the university and the athletics department, we are recommending that C.Y. Stephens’ Auditorium be closed indefinitely and future shows cancelled.”

Fans were left wondering why the Iowa State athletics department had such a big say in the matter of Stephens’ pending closure. In 2019, both Pollard and ISU Research Park President and Director Rick Sanders announced their plans to transfer over administration of the Iowa State Center from the university itself to the athletic department.

“The athletics department has an extraordinary track record when it comes to creating vision and bringing that vision to life,” said Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen in the original 2019 press release. “Jamie is a tremendous leader for Iowa State University and the Ames community and the right person to lead this transformation.”

Part of the original plans once the athletics department was to take over was the ambitious multipurpose developmental district that was meant to act as a figurative and literal bridge between Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum, along with expensive additions such as a hotel, convention center and a paved parking lot able to fit 3,600 people.

In a tweet Sunday, Pollard addressed the uproar the athletics department received after his announcement.

“The university was in a position to no longer subsidize the costs of providing community members the ability to attend performances at Stephens at the expense of faculty compensation and services for our student body,” Pollard said. “We were well on our way in developing a path forward before COVID-19 hit Iowa State Center.”

In a response to Pollard’s recommendation of indefinite closure, Donald Simonson, chair of the department of music and theatre, released a statement on the behalf of the department.

“We have shared our concerns regarding the proposed temporary closing of Stephens Auditorium,” Simonson said. “And we are collaborating with Iowa State University administration to ensure that the arts will always have a robust support at the university, and maintain a prominent presence on campus.”

The people most affected by this news are the ones with the least voice in the decision.

“It would be devastating to the performing arts community in Ames and surrounding areas as well as impacting the university student body,” said Tammy Koolbeck, the executive director of Stephens Auditorium. “We do almost 200 event days a year in Stephens so the impact would be great. There is an economic impact as well to the community for all the patrons who travel into Ames for concerts, comedians and university events.”

Not every entertainment department will be directly affected by this looming indefinite closure.

“ISU Theatre performs the majority of its productions at Fisher Theater,” said Brad Dell, the director of theatre at Iowa State. “So the proposal to indefinitely close Stephens Auditorium does not directly impact ISU Theatre productions.”

Upon asking for an interview with Simonson directly, the Iowa State Daily was not able to get a hold of him after multiple phone calls and emails.