Students living in Baker Hall East and West were able to return to their dorm at 7 a.m. Monday and the Ohio Union reopened, but the 1,200 residents of Park-Stradley are still homeless and might continue to be for at least two days.
Joseph Alutto, executive vice president and provost at Ohio State, sent an email to faculty Monday morning with an update on the water main break that occurred on campus Sunday evening.
Nearly 2,000 students from Baker Hall East and West and Park-Stradley were evacuated to the RPAC for the night after a water main break.
The Ohio Union was also evacuated and closed.
In the email, Alutto said “university staff have been working throughout the night on an underground waterline failure” that led to the residence hall evacuations.
Sunday night, Dave Isaacs, communications and media relations manager of Student Life, said the Ohio Union closed at 9 p.m. due to the water main break.
In his email, Alutto said students living in Baker East and West were able to return to their residence hall at 7 a.m. Monday, and the Ohio Union re-opened, but Park-Stradley is still “inaccessible for normal living accommodations.”
The 1,200 students living in Park-Stradley will be allowed back into the building Monday until 7 p.m. to retrieve personal items. The email said students should bring enough clothes for at least two days.
The email said the RPAC is still available for those who need bedding and a place to shower.
Alutto urged faculty to be understanding toward students affected by the water main break displacement.
“In light of this emergency, please show flexibility in assignments as students affected seek to access notes, books, etc., and otherwise adjust to this disruption,” he said in an email.
Alutto said he will update faculty as more information is available.
