Wednesday, January 17, 2018
sdsucollegian.com
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT-RUN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1885 SINGLE ISSUE FREE
New Year’s flood damages Union, displaces staff EMILY De WAARD Editor-in-Chief
T
he Student Union sustained thousands in damages after a frozen pipe burst over Winter Break and flooded the administration offices in the 150 suite behind Information Exchange. The cost of damage is still being assessed. Ballpark figures have suggested between $35,000 and $50,000, but could be more, said Keith Skogstad, associate director of The Union. Insurance will cover up to $50,000 and remaining costs would come out of pocket for the university. While campus was quiet and empty on the morning of New Year’s Eve, water had begun trickling from a sprinkler head in Assistant Director of Event Services Mark Venhuizen’s office until, finally, the frozen pipe burst. Because water was dispensing from the fire emergency pipe, it triggered the fire alarm, alerting University Police at 9:37 a.m. Within minutes, the water flooded so deep in Venhuizen’s office that Skogstad, who’d arrived on the scene, couldn’t open the door, according to Venhuizen in a video he shared. The waterline left visible on file drawers measured 12 inches, Skogstad said. Skogstad rushed to shut off the main water supply, but in the short time from UPD responding to the alarm and Skogstad arriving, the water had wreaked havoc on the offices. “Most of Mark’s office is totaled,” said Jennifer Novotny, senior director for The Union. “We are still waiting to find out if our office furniture can be fully restored.” According to Director of Campus Maintenance Jim Weiss, crews had already evacuated furniture from the 16SUBMITTED room office suite and begun Assistant Director of Event Services Mark Venhuizen’s office is totaled by a flood that started in his office. The water rose to a foot damage control by 10 a.m. deep, leaving visible water lines on his drawers. The damage will likely take a month or more to repair.
Not only had the water flooded through the offices, it flowed onto Main Street, encroaching on the Market. It also seeped through to the lower level, causing damage in storage spaces and a maintenance room below. Staff and local crews worked until about 4 p.m. that day cleaning up and salvaging what they could. The water was powerful, damaging and found its way into unexpected places. “Mark’s desk was over here (across the room from the burst pipe), and his pencil drawer, which was closed, was full of water,” Skogstad said. The cause is still unknown and difficult to trace exactly, but investigations suggest it may have been a result of exhaust fans being left on, allowing cold air to enter and freeze the pipe. Skogstad said this is inconclusive, though. The wall between Venhuizen and Novotny’s office was the only structure with significant damage and may need to come down. Venhuizen’s office took the worst of it as it was a pipe in that room which cracked. The rest of the suite primarily suffered surface-level water damage. Some decorations, documents, furniture and equipment were lost and carpet will need to be replaced as well as new baseboards. Since the flooding, employees previously housed in the office suite have been temporarily displaced, working in other locations or mobile until repairs are completed. For Novotny, who has been in her office for 13 years, this has been a bit of an adjustment. “When I work with students I don’t imagine it’s so hard to be mobile because I see them do it all the time. I have a little to learn in the area of flexibility, but I’m surviving it,” Novotny laughed.
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Multicultural Center move hinges on BoR approval GARRETT AMMESMAKI News Editor South Dakota State will continue with plans to renovate The Student Union. The initial focus will be on the $1.3 million move of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Moving the OMA from its current space in the lower level to the second floor is phase one of a possible three phase renovation to The Union, following suggestions from last semesters space study. But as of now the plan is in its early stages and needs approval from the Board of Regents to continue. “Phase two and phase three may be something for career development and adding more student organization space,” said Keith Skogstad, associate director for The Union. Based on interviews with different student organizations last semester, it was decided that moving the OMA was a more pressing concern than other suggested renovations — such as changes to the Volstorff Ballroom and the moving of various other student organizations. Due to the $6 million price tag of the original proposed renovations from last years space study, administration has to prioritize certain changes. “The goal was to get as much
done as we could with the funds we do have and one of the main priorities of that was the movement of the Office of Multicultural Affairs,” said Elizabeth Yosick, a senior business economics major and chairperson of the Student Union Advisory Committee. Breaking ground on the renovation is pending approval of the Preliminary Facility Statement from the Board of Regents — the PFS outlines the specifics of the construction. If approval is granted, an architect will be hired, according to Jennifer Novotny, senior director for The Union. The PFS should be put in front of the Board of Regents by March 23. Multiple students from the OMA are excited about the move. Senior health education major Hiriti Araia said it will be good for the office’s exposure. “I definitely agree with it,” Araia said. “It will open up opportunities for people to meet new people and interact.” Being more visible to minority students is one of the main motivators for making the OMA move the highest priority for renovations, Novotny said. Over the past three years it has continuously “bubbled to the top” in space study conversations. There are still “question
GARRETT AMMESMAKI • The Collegian
The Office of Multicultural Affairs currently sits in the basement of the Union. If renovation goes as planned it should move up to the second floor above the Market.
marks” within the plan, such as how to best serve disabled students with the renovations. Disability Services has its office in the OMA.
“If they move [OMA] to the second level, is it going to promote success for students of that demographic?” Novotny said. Her hope is, before any plan
is executed, Disability Services is well talked about and they would look for the best case scenarios to serve those students.