With bad acoustics, limited seating, inadequate storage and a stage that restricts the type of productions, those at BYUH -- as well as in the surrounding Laie community -- say they welcome renovations to it.
Sophomore Janae Judd, a theater major, said she found the conditions at McKay surprising, especially after coming from huge theaters at the University of Texas in Austin where she had studied.
"It shocked me because I thought, 'This is the auditorium? This is where they do their productions?'" Judd said.
"But I thought, 'Well, it works.' It's bigger than my high school auditorium."
BYUH President Eric Shumway added, "Right now our auditorium is, well, you could go to a number of high schools on the island and find a better auditorium."
The 42-year-old, 222-acre campus recently submitted its master plan as part of a city Plan Review Use application that the university needs to begin major renovations on campus.
Fifteen projects are proposed, including new faculty and student housing, a campus chapel, recreation center and luau garden. Renovations are proposed at the student dorm, social sciences building, bookstore and library as well as McKay.
Shumway said with advances in computer technology, BYUH's 2,000 students need facilities for the 21st century.
The last new building completed on campus was in 1980, he added.
"The needs and expectations of our students have stretched the university's capabilities and functions to its limits," Shumway said. "The projects we are proposing to undertake are simply a reflection of what the university has to implement to match those needs."
First before the BYUH board of trustees is the renovation of McKay auditorium, named after one of the elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. McKay in 1921 envisioned a church school of higher learning in Hawaii which eventually became BYUH.
Shumway said the $6 million theater renovation will increase seating from 640 to 1,000 as well as enhance the acoustics of the 39-year-old building. Other work includes new restrooms with handicapped access, a scene shop and a hydraulic extension to the stage for flexibility in performances and productions.
"When we're done, this will be one of the finest venues for dramatic productions, recital productions and concerts anywhere in the island," Shumway said.
He hopes the renovation can begin this year.
The surrounding community has taken a keen interest in BYUH's five-year plan because of its use of campus facilities, said Sam Langi, chairman of the Koolauloa Neighborhood Board. Langi said the board wholeheartedly supports the projects. The construction of new on-campus housing for faculty and married student quarters would free much-needed rental units for others in Laie, he said.
BYUH offers free use of its facilities to the state Department of Education for math and science competitions, for Kahuku High School band recitals and community sports leagues.
The campus also has become a center of activity for North Shore residents. In 1995, community groups, schools and organizations used the campus facilities for nearly 500 community service events.
"When it comes to finding a place to hold meeting and activities, it's there," Langi said.
Key events in Brigham Young University-Hawaii's history:
February 1955: Groundbreaking begins for Church College of Hawaii's 222-acre campus in Laie. Classes begin that September with 153 students and 20 faculty members under the support and guidance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.