225 Class Sections Moved from Owens, Bancroft
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 11:17AM By Staff
Smoke pours from the roof of Owens. The official cause of the fire is unknow but is likely a mechanical glitch, said Rebecca Masters, assistant to the president for public affiars.
Some professors will be grading papers in the TV room of Margaret Nance between classes until their offices can be re-opened.
Bancroft and the Bancroft Annex, where many professors have offices, will be inaccessible for two to three weeks, Debra Boyd, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, wrote in an e-mail Monday.
Professors will have to take on a “retro” teaching style due to losing the usual technology available in their classrooms, Boyd wrote.
President Anthony DiGiorgio suggested in a campus-wide e-mail Tuesday that professors use the lounge in Margaret Nance as “a quiet spot between classes.” A total of 18 class sections were moved from Bancroft for the rest of the semester, said Rebecca Masters, assistant to the president for public affairs. In addition, 207 class sections were moved from Owens.
Athletic Training moved its classes to the Coliseum to free up spaces in the West Center, Masters said. Professors in Sims also gave up reserved computer lab spaces that weren’t being used.
Clean up
Workers began to remove smoke and water residue from the affected buildings Sunday, DiGiorgio wrote.
“We believe regular access to Bancroft will be some days away (likely after spring break week),” DiGiorgio wrote, “but we will advise you if sooner can be arranged.”
Professors who have offices in the main part of Bancroft were allowed to enter at certain times Monday to get items from their offices.
Clean-up crews placed fans in the building Tuesday to clean the smoke out of the building.
Damage
The fire destroyed 18 SMART classrooms and a computer lab in Owens. The university will not use the building until further notice, Boyd wrote in an e-mail to faculty on Monday.
“The first assessment of Owens Hall indicated that the structure is okay, but a much more detailed assessment will be needed to guarantee that the building is safe,” she wrote. “And, of course, it now needs a new roof.”
Owens’ original roof cost $6.5 million.
The total estimate of financial damage resulting from the fire is still unknown. Money from the insurance policy on Owens will be the primary source of funding for reconstruction and recovery, Masters said.
The cause of the fire has also not been confirmed. It is likely that a mechanical glitch started the blaze, Masters said.
The loss of Owens as a key academic building for the rest of the semester is a “serious event,” Masters said. “Folks are really concerned (about personal items in offices).” The university understands that books and research material are important to “professional identity,” Masters said.
