Painting and drawing senior Ashley LeBlanc has more to worry about when attending class than getting paint on her clothes.
LeBlanc, who left the University this semester to take a year off, has had to endure the Studio Arts Building, formerly known as the Old Engineering Shop, for the past two semesters. 
Filled with lopsided bricks, exposed pipes and unpleasant smells, she said the conditions are less than perfect.
LeBlanc said some of the bricks are loose and not cemented. She said chemical drainage piping gives off a smell of “rotten eggs” and rats occupy the same space as students.  
There is no central air and poor ventilation in the building, and LeBlanc said it’s not the ideal environment for toxic chemicals present in art supplies.
Comprised of seven smaller buildings, the area houses the College of Art & Design’s senior studios, the spaces assigned to senior art students to complete their final projects.
“We worked our butts off for three years, and we’re hyped up about this space,” LeBlanc said. “And you get in there and the teachers are a little apologetic.”
Despite the poor conditions, LeBlanc said she wouldn’t have spoken out about the building if she didn’t think her safety, and that of her peers, was at risk.
The building is unlocked 24/7, according to LeBlanc. She recalled an incident during finals week last semester when she was finishing a project around 1:30 a.m. in the only part of the building visible from outside.
“I’m just painting and I hear, ‘Get on the f—ing ground,'” LeBlanc said.
She then saw a man running past the window with a brick in his hand. Police tackled the man and stunned him with a Taser, according to LeBlanc.
As officers swarmed the suspect, LeBlanc ran for an exit, fearing for her safety. LeBlanc suspected the man was trying to break into the studio, and since she was the only person in the building at the time, she guessed the man was coming after her.
“He was trying to get in [using the brick], not realizing the building was already unlocked,” LeBlanc said.
Capt. Cory Lalonde, LSU Police Department spokesman, said the man was charged with breaking into vending machines in the Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex and was arrested in the area near the Studio Arts Building.
Rod Parker, director of the School of Art, said safety issues arise when students leave the building’s doors unlocked. It’s easy for someone to enter a studio because of the number of unlocked entrances into multiple buildings.
Parker said the school uses cameras and lighting around the area to deter people from breaking in. The school recommends students not stay in the buildings alone at night.  Video: Interview with Ashley LeBlanc
“We are doing this as proactively as possible, given the state of our building,” Parker said.
But LeBlanc said break-ins and robberies also occur during school hours. She said her iPod was stolen from the building and artwork has been vandalized, including an incident where a box cutter was used to slice through a completed painting.
“That’s heartbreaking,” LeBlanc said. “You spend hours [creating artwork].”  
Lalonde said there were no robberies reported at the Studio Arts Building in 2011.
Parker said even with poor conditions, the building is still up to Environmental Protection Agency standards.
But, Parker said, he wouldn’t “advise [students] to eat off the floor.”
The building has been on the University’s renovation list since 1992, according to Emmett David, Facility Services director of planning, design & construction.
David said the state Legislature recently approved the renovation project to begin a design phase that will involve bidding on different architects’ plans for the renovation.
The design phase will take about a year, according to David, and the project, estimated to cost about $12 million, will then need to be approved for construction by the Legislature.
David said construction will begin once the Legislature gathers funds for the project. He said he isn’t sure how long that could take. 
“If they get [the money] in 12 months, it’ll be 12 months. If they don’t get it for five more years, it’ll be five more years,” David said.
Parker said the project, which has been designated a “high priority” by the University, will be paid for with capital outlay funds. The building is tentatively scheduled to be completely renovated by summer 2014.
Renovations have begun two to three times before, according to Parker. He said plans have never made it through the design phase.
Parker said renovations will probably happen this time because capital outlay funds are relatively dependable.
LeBlanc said she doesn’t know of anyone who has taken their concerns beyond complaints to teachers and casual conversation.
“It’s just kind of understood when you go in the school that it’s something that will be handled one day, but you should just focus on your school work, and it’s not your problem and it’s not really your concern,” LeBlanc said. “That’s how it’s handled, and nobody really releases any information as to why it hasn’t been renovated yet.”
 
____
Contact Kevin Thibodeaux at [email protected]