The 1000-level of Lumpkin Hall reeked of murky, stagnant water Wednesday as workers attempted to restore the floor back to a functioning facility.

The building was damaged Tuesday afternoon when a burst pipe on the 3000-level sprayed thousands of gallons of water down two stories to the basement.

The flooding led to the cancellation of all classes on the 1000- and 2000-level floors after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, and the cancellation or relocation of all 1000-level classes the remainder of the week.

The pipe burst because it was exposed to freezing temperatures during winter break. When the building was reheated at the start of the semester, the pipe thawed, leading to the flood.

Gary Reed, director of facilities planning and management, said the burst was not a routine failure and FPM is currently working to determine why the pipe was exposed to freezing temperatures in order to correct it.

He said the overall damage to the building is still being evaluated, but wall surfaces in the building’s northwest stairwell – near the breezeway connecting Lumpkin and Coleman Hall – and some lower level wall sections are being inspected as they dry out. Preliminary assessments of equipment, he said, indicate little if any damage to electronics in the building.

Professors dealing with rescheduling

Meanwhile, professors who had their classes displaced because of the flood had to work with changing locations or dealing with class cancellations altogether this week.

Of the 29 1000-level classes scheduled for Wednesday, three were canceled while the other 26 were relocated to classrooms in Coleman Hall, Blair Hall, the Physical Science Building or Buzzard Hall.

Thirty classes are affected today: four were canceled, 26 have been relocated. A list of Friday class changes has not yet been posted.

Vicki Woodard, coordinator of public information, said the reason some classes were canceled instead of relocated was because they were in classrooms that contained specific computer software that could not be duplicated in other classrooms.

She said they are still assessing if those classrooms will be able to resume class or if the software for those classes will need to be relocated.

Ayse Costello, an assistant professor of management in the school of business, had her Strategy and Policy class affected by the flooding.

Her Wednesday class was relocated to Coleman Hall, but she said it was a minor inconvenience.

“I teach on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule, so the impact was not substantial,” Costello said. “I don’t expect any further disruption from this event, except for having to teach in the new location until the clean up is complete.”

For David Boggs, assistant professor of management in the school of business, the flooding was not much of an issue either. He said the only class of his that was affected was his 3:30 p.m. Tuesday class. Boggs was asked to leave the building at 2:45 p.m. after the flood started and said it was not until the time of his class drew near that he realized he wouldn’t be able to hold class.

“It became clear I would not be allowed to re-enter the building in time to have class or make my students aware that it was canceled,” he said. “If I had access to my office (inside Lumpkin), of course I would have contacted my students by e-mail, but I understand they posted something on the Web about it.”

Reed said all classes inside Lumpkin are expected to return as normally scheduled next week.

One exception may be Room 1040 in Lumpkin, which Reed said sustained more damage than any other because it is adjacent to the northwest stairwell where the leak was most prevalent.

One office flooded

Roann Kopel, a professor in the college of business and applied science, has an office right next to the stairwell where the flood started.

She was in her office when water started pouring in, but to her knowledge, nothing was damaged other than the carpet.

“When I saw the water coming in I quickly unplugged all the electronics,” she said. “I took my laptop home. It wasn’t nearly deep enough to get the desk.”

She said she was uncertain when she would be able to return to her office, but was told there was a chance they might have to go through a wall in her office to get to the leak.

Reed said overall repair costs for the damage done has still not been determined.

Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.

Signs and tape block off the east stairwell in Lumpkin hall Wednesday afternoon. They will be re-opening the 1000 level up Lumpkin on Tuesday. (Amir Prellberg / The Daily Eastern News)

(more…)

Campus electrician J.P. Taylor opens up the floor ducts in Room 1011 of Lumpkin Hall Wednesday afternoon. Opening the ducts allows for workers to vacuum and let the floor air out to dry easier. Everything in the basement was taken off the floor to avoid f

(more…)