Kiley Mackie
Staff Writer
Feb. 26, 2004, Page 1
Doane College and its students are about to be awash in repair and replacement costs.
Though exact restoration costs for the historical building have yet to be determined, Pappy Khouri, vice president of Financial Affairs, said he is predicting high damage figures.
Students have been saddled with the financial responsibility for personal property losses in accordance with pg. 55 of the Student Handbook which states “the college is not responsible for theft, loss or damage to stored items.”
At the various meetings held for Frees residents on Monday, Russ Hewitt, director of Residence Life, and Kim Heier, dean of Student Leadership, advised students with property damage to contact their personal home owner’s insurance agencies.
Students were supplied with disposable cameras and told to take pictures of their damaged property and document their losses.
Students’ thoughts were quickly forced to focus on the ensuing clean-up process when they were told they had to move all their belongings out.
During these meetings, boxes were being put together by Paul Davis Restoration to assist the students in their packing.
The Lincoln-based company has been hired to repair the water damage and dry out the building.
Khouri said that the company has already begun taking steps to restore the upper north side of Frees – the area most affected by the flooding.
“We have things fairly well in hand,” Khouri said. “Tuesday the company brought their extraction truck in to suck up the water from the rooms. Later that afternoon, they brought in equipment such as de-humidifiers and large fans and placed them in every room and at the end of the halls.”
Soon after fans were in place, the halls began to appear dry and habitable.
However, the clean-up process is much more extensive and could take until the end of spring break.
One aspect of Frees Hall that both helps and hinders the clean-up process is its age.
“The fact that it is an older building helps because the walls are plaster and not dry-wall,” Khouri said. “That way the walls didn’t suck up as much water. The hump in the middle of the building also helped to contain the water to just the north side.”
In contrast, the age of the building has also made the use of extra equipment necessary.
“We needed more power in the building to run all the equipment,” Khouri said. “So we brought in an electrician and the city of Crete helped us to bring in a transformer with a conduit going from the parking lot into Frees.”
Though the additional equipment is undoubtedly running up the restoration bill, Khouri said that the cost of repairs is not his first priority.“
Right now, I’m less concerned with the eventual cost than with ensuring the safety of students and getting the situation taken care of,” Khouri said.
Khouri has informed St. Paul Insurance of the crisis and had an adjustor come on Tuesday to assess the damage.
“Here in a few weeks or so, I will probably have more of an idea of how much this is going to cost the insurance company and the college,” Khouri said.
Thus far, the only monetary compensation issued has been to students who agreed to house residents from second and third floor Frees.
The students’ room rates were dropped from a single-room to a double-room fee for the rest of the semester.
Khouri said it is unlikely the displaced students will receive any reduced rates for their inconvenience.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Flood Displaces Students
Kelsey Tegtmeier
Staff Writer
Page 1, Feb. 26, 2004
Forty-three students were evacuated from their rooms in Frees Hall around midnight Sunday because of flooding.
Around 11 p.m. Brian Joe heard people outside of his third floor room as he was getting ready to go to sleep. His attempt at a night’s rest was interrupted almost 45 minutes later.
“I heard a big pop and then I opened my door to a running stream of water,” Joe said.
Sadie Kliewer, third floor RA, said there was a broken sprinkler head, which caused the rush of water outside of Joe’s room. Residents from other floors were interrupted by the sound of the fire alarm.
“I didn’t think it was anything serious,” said freshman Ronnie Patron who was folding his laundry when the alarm went off.
Patron’s clothes were left unfolded because the residents of Frees Hall were evacuated and Crete’s first response team arrived on the scene.
Frees residents waited outside while the hall was checked for signs of fire and the water was turned off. Students mingled and tried to stay warm while they waited to be let back into their rooms.
“It was pretty hectic,” said freshman Mitch Vernon, third floor resident.
Freshman Bobby Thompson and other students walked across the parking lot to Sheldon Hall to get out of the cold.
Students were allowed into the building about 45 minutes later, when Residence Life staff explained the situation and placed students in different rooms for the night.
“I tried to remain positive and show other people that we can get through this together,” said second floor RA Dustin Bender.
Male residents on third floor were placed in rooms on second floor, while the females of second floor were moved to third floor. A similar switch was made for the residents of first floor and the basement so that students slept on the dry south side of the building.
Many students spent the night on couches, futons or even the floors of other rooms. Students were allowed to stay with other friends on campus or family members living in Crete.
“I think they (Residence Life) did the best they could,” said freshman Kate Gehrig, second floor resident.
The RAs recorded where their floor members spent the night so that everyone was accounted for, Bender said.
After a night of minimal sleep, Frees Hall residents tried to make Monday a normal day, at least as normal as possible.
“If staying here, come and go as needed,” read one whiteboard hanging on the door of a second floor room on Monday.
Many students missed class or were unable to turn in or complete their homework because of the flooding. Clean clothes, papers, books, toothbrushes and other necessities were left in their rooms while they took refuge in a south side room.
Residents could only enter their rooms with an RA and were only allowed to remove essential items, said Bender.
The fire marshal advised Residence Life staff to keep people out of the flooded area for safety reasons, said Russ Hewitt, Director of Residence Life.
When Joe returned to his room on Monday he found a pile of wet clothes on the closet floor, a ruined cell phone and an odor.
Joe and other second and third floor residents spent Monday afternoon moving their belongings out of their rooms.
Rooms 200-211 and 300-311 were evacuated so that the rooms could be professionally cleaned and damage repaired.
“At first I was dreading the inconvenience, but was able to keep my sanity because of all the help provided,” Bridget Kimball, sophomore, said.
Of the 43 students evacuated, 24 accepted their new living assignments from Residence Life, while the remainder worked out their own arrangements, said Hewitt.
Trucks full of boxes and furniture lined Frees parking lot while students and parents removed final belongs Monday night.
Pizza and soda greeted the busy students at the hall meeting in Frees lounge.
Hugs and thank yous filled the lounge as students waited for the meeting to start.
To start the meeting Kim Heier, Dean of Students, and Ethan Rowley, Frees Hall Resident Director, thanked the students, hall council, residence life staff and Pappy Khouri for their help with the situation.
The Residence Life staff hopes to have students back into their rooms by the end of Spring Break, at the latest, said Hewitt.
“I think the students have really shown a lot of tenacity, even though it has been an upsetting process for some of them,” said Heier. “I’m proud of them (the students) and the Doane community for really coming together and helping out.”
Staff Writer
Page 1, Feb. 26, 2004
Forty-three students were evacuated from their rooms in Frees Hall around midnight Sunday because of flooding.
Around 11 p.m. Brian Joe heard people outside of his third floor room as he was getting ready to go to sleep. His attempt at a night’s rest was interrupted almost 45 minutes later.
“I heard a big pop and then I opened my door to a running stream of water,” Joe said.
Sadie Kliewer, third floor RA, said there was a broken sprinkler head, which caused the rush of water outside of Joe’s room. Residents from other floors were interrupted by the sound of the fire alarm.
“I didn’t think it was anything serious,” said freshman Ronnie Patron who was folding his laundry when the alarm went off.
Patron’s clothes were left unfolded because the residents of Frees Hall were evacuated and Crete’s first response team arrived on the scene.
Frees residents waited outside while the hall was checked for signs of fire and the water was turned off. Students mingled and tried to stay warm while they waited to be let back into their rooms.
“It was pretty hectic,” said freshman Mitch Vernon, third floor resident.
Freshman Bobby Thompson and other students walked across the parking lot to Sheldon Hall to get out of the cold.
Students were allowed into the building about 45 minutes later, when Residence Life staff explained the situation and placed students in different rooms for the night.
“I tried to remain positive and show other people that we can get through this together,” said second floor RA Dustin Bender.
Male residents on third floor were placed in rooms on second floor, while the females of second floor were moved to third floor. A similar switch was made for the residents of first floor and the basement so that students slept on the dry south side of the building.
Many students spent the night on couches, futons or even the floors of other rooms. Students were allowed to stay with other friends on campus or family members living in Crete.
“I think they (Residence Life) did the best they could,” said freshman Kate Gehrig, second floor resident.
The RAs recorded where their floor members spent the night so that everyone was accounted for, Bender said.
After a night of minimal sleep, Frees Hall residents tried to make Monday a normal day, at least as normal as possible.
“If staying here, come and go as needed,” read one whiteboard hanging on the door of a second floor room on Monday.
Many students missed class or were unable to turn in or complete their homework because of the flooding. Clean clothes, papers, books, toothbrushes and other necessities were left in their rooms while they took refuge in a south side room.
Residents could only enter their rooms with an RA and were only allowed to remove essential items, said Bender.
The fire marshal advised Residence Life staff to keep people out of the flooded area for safety reasons, said Russ Hewitt, Director of Residence Life.
When Joe returned to his room on Monday he found a pile of wet clothes on the closet floor, a ruined cell phone and an odor.
Joe and other second and third floor residents spent Monday afternoon moving their belongings out of their rooms.
Rooms 200-211 and 300-311 were evacuated so that the rooms could be professionally cleaned and damage repaired.
“At first I was dreading the inconvenience, but was able to keep my sanity because of all the help provided,” Bridget Kimball, sophomore, said.
Of the 43 students evacuated, 24 accepted their new living assignments from Residence Life, while the remainder worked out their own arrangements, said Hewitt.
Trucks full of boxes and furniture lined Frees parking lot while students and parents removed final belongs Monday night.
Pizza and soda greeted the busy students at the hall meeting in Frees lounge.
Hugs and thank yous filled the lounge as students waited for the meeting to start.
To start the meeting Kim Heier, Dean of Students, and Ethan Rowley, Frees Hall Resident Director, thanked the students, hall council, residence life staff and Pappy Khouri for their help with the situation.
The Residence Life staff hopes to have students back into their rooms by the end of Spring Break, at the latest, said Hewitt.
“I think the students have really shown a lot of tenacity, even though it has been an upsetting process for some of them,” said Heier. “I’m proud of them (the students) and the Doane community for really coming together and helping out.”
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