End of Semester Storm Relocates Classes

By Katie Muller
Staff Writer

The Fall 2014 semester ended with a blunt reminder of Mother Nature’s stormy strength. On Dec. 9, the excessive rain unleashed multiple leaks and floods on campus. There were three sizeable leaks in the roof of Hillwood in front of Subway and the café. Also, there was flooding in the north end of the basement of Humanities. The front stairway to the basement was closed, and about three to four classrooms were redirected from the flooded area and relocated upstairs.

“It seems like the money being spent to improve the campus is going to the wrong places,” said Angelo Pellegrino, a senior Computer Science major. “They should have fixed the leaky ceiling at Hillwood and any drainage issues on campus, instead of planting new bushes.”

“The flooding in Humanities was not serious,” said William Kirker, Director of Facilities Services. “It only affected the lower level on the north end [of Humanities]. There was a drain in a window well that was backed up due to the excessive rain we had on that day. It did not cause any damage. It was just an inconvenience for a couple of hours. It was primarily contained in the hall, but did go under a couple doors to classrooms.”

The water in Humanities was removed using wet vacuums and mops. Kirker explained, what happened the classes that were held in the basement when the flooding occurred. “A couple of the classes scheduled at the time, at that end of the building, were relocated upstairs in Humanities. The problems that occurred on Dec. 9 were limited in size and location. Things were isolated and made safe.”

“There was no flooding in Hillwood,”Kirker said. “There were leaks that were contained. There was no flooding like in Humanities that had much more water coming in. In Hillwood, the leaks were primarily in front of Subway and in front of the server entrance.”

“They should fix all of the roofs. The theater building floods when the snow starts to melt or when it rains,” said Jane Gemmell, a senior Electronic Media major. However, Kirker was not aware of any problems with flooding or leaks in the theater building. “I’m not specifically aware of this. I assume [she] is talking about the Little Theater building.” Kirker recommends students to “go to the building/program director to have them report…with some details” any leakage or damages they may notice along campus so they can investigate the problem and fix it. “I will try to follow up with whom I think manages the building,” Kirker said.

Despite the leaks and floods, Kirker added that Post is prepared for any emergency thrown its way. “The campus is prepared for a major storm as best as any place can be. Every storm presents its own issues that must be dealt with. You learn from what has happened in the past, and are ready to react to what may or may not happen.”

As to whether the problems are fixed as they occur, or whether there are future plans for renovations to prevent similar problems (such as fixing the roofs), Kirker responded, “The answer to this is yes to both. We fix problems as they occur every day. We also are constantly planning to make repairs/renovations to deal with aging buildings so that problems are addressed before they occur.”