Services in Old Main relocated after last week's flooding
Because of the flooding that occurred in Old Main at Western Washington University last week, a number of offices in the building have been relocated. Rich Van Den Hul, vice president for Business and Financial Affairs, sent the following e-mail to 草榴社区 students, faculty and staff on Sunday apprising the community of the changes:
To the Campus Community:
Cleanup and repair efforts continued over the weekend to address the damage that occurred in Old Main after a 2.5-inch sprinkler pipe on the fifth floor of the building burst Nov. 23, flooding a number of office suites in the central section of the building that faces the Old Main lawn. The pipe burst due to extremely low temperatures worsened by high winds.
Old Main will be open for business on Monday, Nov. 29. However, many offices affected by the flooding and cleanup work have been relocated. A complete list of relocated offices is included with this message.
The west side of the center section of Old Main on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th floors suffered extensive damage from the broken water pipe. The offices affected by the water damage include: Prevention and Wellness Services; the Counseling Center; Financial Aid, Student Accounts; and the Office of the Provost and President. Office operations will continue as follows:
Financial Aid - students and others seeking assistance with financial aid issues are encouraged to wait until Tuesday, Nov. 30, to resolve their aid-related concerns. Those with issues that cannot wait until Tuesday can call 360-650-3470 for assistance. Individuals seeking walk-in advising can go to the Student Employment Center, where Financial Aid staff will be located.
Prevention and Wellness Services - regular operations will be in place on Monday. CASAS and ADCAS services will continue without interruption. Signs will be posted so students can find various staff.
Counseling Center - will open for business at Monday, Nov. 29 at 9:30 a.m. Students having Monday morning appointments will receive a communication from the Counseling Center on Sunday informing them where their counselor will be located. On Monday, students wanting to make an appointment at the Counseling Center can either call 650-3164 or come to Old Main 540 between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to schedule an appointment. After Monday, the Center will open at its regular time of 8:30 a.m.
Student Accounts - will be operating from OM 375 and will be open at regular hours.
Provost/President’s Office - will be operating Monday morning; see list for new office assignments.
Traveling to and through Old Main
Students, staff and faculty who intend to transit through the building are encouraged to bypass the construction areas by using the outside walkways to access to either the north or south stairways and elevators.
Students, staff and faculty who are working in the building and need to access offices on the other side of the construction zone are encouraged to use the 3rd floor hallway for that purpose.
Office Relocations
Because of the extent of the damage to Old Main offices, it is anticipated those offices that have been relocated will likely remain relocated until after the December holidays.
Those offices and their new locations are detailed in the attached document. The attachment also is online at . Signage also will be posted in Old Main.
Cleanup efforts have made good progress. Mitigation has included stripping sheet rock off of affected areas and drying these areas out to remove the threat of mold. Carpet will be removed where necessary.
Updates will be provided as needed. Please watch for messages like this or for updates in Western Today.
I appreciate and thank everyone for their patience in dealing with the inconveniences caused by this flooding and resultant repair work in Old Main. Employees from many different areas on campus responded as a team to mitigate the damage and to quickly move affected offices so services to campus would be minimally interrupted. I wish to thank all those involved for their diligence, extremely hard work and willingness to work long hours during a holiday weekend. Western can be proud of your efforts.
Rich Van Den Hul
Vice President
Business & Financial Affairs
