A new Paul Robeson Cultural Center -- frequently requested by the University's black community -- hinges on state funding for construction or renovations to begin at the site, University officials said.

However, students and faculty who use and operate the cultural center say improvements are needed immediately -- especially an expansion of display space, structural repair and a design that reflects its cultural importance.

"The (cultural center) is a very old facility," said Walter Mosely, president of Black Caucus. "It is probably one of the very few wooden facilities on campus. It's falling apart."

During a 1988 student protest in the Telecommunications Building, a group of students called Concerned African-Americans at Penn State made a list of demands to the University, including a new cultural center.

"The facilities are good enough for you to be in, but they are not as good as other facilities which are being built (or already built)," Mosely said.

Last year, the University Board of Trustees requested $4 million from the capital budget for construction of a new cultural center, said Steve Garban, senior vice president of finance and operations. Funding has not been received for the request due to a 3-year legislative backlog for such requests, he said.

In September, the trustees again approved a capital budget request for funding of such a project.

"It is so hard to tell what the legislature will do. We did put a high priority on it as was promised to the students. It was listed fourth out of 24 requests," Garban said. It was preceded by requests for central energy production and recovery facilities, a library and classroom building at Capital College and a new chemistry building.

Center Director Lawrence Young said the attitude toward and perception of the center is just as important as the practical problems incurred by its structure.

"How one feels and sees the facility reflects on how one treats the facility," Young said. "A new facility that has modern equipment and has a progressive appearance makes a very important statement to students and the general public about the University." And it makes a statement about racial and ethnic minorities within the University.

"This entity has social and educational benefits and the University should look at this not as a demand, but out of necessity," he said.

Forty-nine years ago, the center, formerly the Willow Street USO building, traveled piece-by-piece from Lebanon, Pa., to University Park. Built as a temporary facility, the almost 50-year-old building now is encountering problems of structural stress, deterioration and lack of space, Young said.

After years of use by various student groups and faculty departments, the cultural center -- known as the Walnut Building until 1971 -- went into a period of disuse and was scheduled to be torn down sometime between 1967 and 1969, Young said.

"Around 1969, the building was still empty when a group of students requested to use it as a black cultural center," he added. And the long road to today's Paul Robeson Cultural Center began.

In 1971, the trustees granted permission for the Walnut Building to be used as the Black Cultural Center. It was officially dedicated as the Paul Robeson Cultural Center in 1985.

As part of the dedication effort, the University approved $200,000 of renovations, with the University's Office of Physical Plant performing the construction.

Part of the renovations consisted of redoing the kitchen, bathrooms and overall wiring. Additional seating was provided in the auditorium and the library and art gallery were also put in place, Young said.

"Basically the structure is exactly the same as it was then," he said. "The same doors are still here, the same floor is still here ... there have been no real additions to the center."

Young said the building was not built to function as a cultural center, and although modifications have been made, many problems still exist.

"A new cultural center would be built for that specific function and to serve those specific needs," he said.

One example of how space has limited the center's capabilities is the lack of adequate display areas for large pieces of cultural art.

"While we have a small gallery, it is not really built for the large exhibits we have acquired of African-American and Caribbean art," Young said.

The conference area often used for black studies classes is too small and does not provide typical classroom facilities, Young said.

The cultural center is also short on space for storage and student offices, he said.

Young added the center is in the process of acquiring large amounts of art, tapes, books and music.

"Having the ability to store these things would require more space than what we have now," he said.

Because of space restrictions the cultural center must use the same room for many different purposes, Young said.

"For example, the auditorium is used for dinners, for films, for dances," he said. "The potential to use the rooms becomes very limited. If we had a larger space ... it would enhance our ability to accommodate student needs."

Mosley said student organizations often experience problems when requesting use of the center for planned events. He said two or three groups often ask for use of the limited space at the same time.

"We had an excess of 30,000 students use this facility. That is a lot of wear and tear. For a facility this old ... the ability to recover is limited. We are fighting a losing battle in terms of the erosion," Young said.

He said the condition of the auditorium floor is one example of the deterioration the cultural center is experiencing. Because of the number of annual dances the center holds, the floor is beginning to sag and buckle, he said.

"It's just a matter of time," Young said.

Since the building's foundation is not permanent, it is built out of cinder blocks instead of concrete.

"The new center would provide a space that would be strong enough, supportive enough of that traffic," he said.

Mike McGinnis, assistant to Sen. J. Doyle Corman, R-Centre, said a capital budget request is sometimes referred to as "Christmas budget" because everyone makes every request they can.

"Everything gets approved, but then the University will go back and pick and choose ... and send those back they want to be funded," McGinnis said. "Some requests have been there for 20 years without funding and others have been funded right away."