Update 9/2 at 3:37 p.m. — Langdon Engineering Center will reopen all classrooms and offices Wednesday, according to an email sent out to the campus community.
The roof instillation of Langdon is expected to be back on schedule soon, Gebb said in an email to The Orion.
Update 8/29 at 6:32 p.m. — Langdon Engineering Center will reopen almost all classrooms and offices Tuesday. Langdon 300, 302 and 303 will remain closed because the university is “… still assessing the technology,” Gebb said. The first-floor laboratories 117, 118, 119, 120, 121 and 122 will also remain closed “… to continue assessing the lab equipment.” Gebb said that the university is expected to know more Tuesday.
“Repairs are largely finished, and all health and safety assessments have been completed.” An email to campus sent out Friday stated.
Update 8/27 at 5:30 p.m. — Langdon Engineering Center will be closed through at least Monday to allow for assessment, clean up, and restoration.
Academic Affairs has given faculty the option to move classes online or have their classes moved to a different room. Students were told to check Canvas and their campus email for updates from instructors, according to the email sent out to the campus community.
Gebb explained that water damage takes time to evaluate and that the university is still in the assessment stage.
“We don’t have any cost estimates to share right now,” Gebb said, “[This] should not impede access to O’Connell or other parts of campus.”
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Unexpected, heavy summer rains led to water damage in the Langdon Engineering Center Tuesday night, resulting in classes being moved online or cancelled. That is good news for students and faculty, because the inside of the building currently smells like a mix between a wet dog and a forgotten pair of gym socks.
Facilities crews and consultants are assessing the scale of the damage, said Ashley Gebb, interim Chief of Staff. The single-story portion of the building sustained the worst of the impact. The top two floors of the three-story section of the building have leaking issues she worries may find the way to the bottom floor. They have not determined a date the building will reopen.
Partially completed work on the roof was the primary cause of the water intrusion. “We were in the middle of a $2 million re-roofing project on Langdon,” Gebb said.
The work was scheduled to be completed this fall. It is unclear at the moment if the damage will set back that timeline.
Most classes were moved online, according to David Alexander, dean of the college of engineering, computer science, and construction management. There are lab-based classes they are currently working to find an alternative space for. His hope is that they are able to move at least some classes back into the building by the end of the week.
Students received an email Wednesday this morning with the news. Students were instructed to check Canvas, their Chico State email or to reach out to their instructors for news on the cancellations. Gebb said the University will be sending out further updates later in the day Wednesday.
Chico State administrators and the emergency team have been in communication since they began their assessment at 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Langdon is one of the older buildings on campus, dating back to 1967.
Since it is so early in the semester, some students are still on waiting lists for classes. Those students may not receive the messaging through Canvas about class cancellations. The Orion spoke to two wait-listed students who showed up to the building because they had not heard that the class they were hoping to join had been cancelled.
The Orion will update with more information when it becomes available.
Sean Shanks can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]
