Financial aid office faces water damage
The staff at the student financial aid office, located on the third floor of the administration building, has been dealing with water damage for a year and a half.
Several ceiling tiles have been removed and replaced by buckets to catch the leaking water. An entire cubicle workspace has been overrun with sheets of plastic and carpet squares are ripped up, exposing the bare cement floor. An individual was forced to relocate within the office, and each time it rains things get worse.
This week’s bad rain storms brought, in spots, up to an inch of rain into the offices, according to Laura Emch, the associate director of student financial aid. University maintenance facilities have repeatedly cleaned up the excess water, temporarily fixed the leaks and run fans to dry the carpet. However, according to Emch, at this point the problem won’t be completely fixed until the roof is replaced.
“We feel that the longer we wait to get it fixed, the worse the problem is going to be,” Emch said. “Everyone wants to help but no one has the money - the cost will only increase the longer we wait.”
The administration building is shaped like a top hat and the financial aid office is located directly under the 90-degree angle where the higher floors meet with the third floor. Hence, this area is seeing the most problems. Water is seeping through the ceiling all along this seam and is soaking through the floor, causing brown water spots on the ceiling of the College of Arts and Sciences office below on the second floor.
Aside from the unsightly appearance that the flood damage has caused, it is also bringing health concerns to the affected staff.
“It is really a morale issue around here,” Emch said. “When it is totally drenched the carpet smells musty, and even after it’s swept up, we worry about allergies.”
The University’s department of environmental health and safety recently checked the area for mold but did not detect any signs of the fungus. Yet, Emch said, the longer the water sits in the carpet, the greater the chance for mold to grow.
