Indiana University Northwest Chancellor Bruce Bergland has announced the Gary campus would reopen for normal business on Monday, Sept. 29, following intensive cleanup efforts in the wake of last week’s flood.

In a statement that was emailed to all students, faculty and staff, Bergland assured the campus that the university would be ready for business on Monday, and that current plans call for the Fall 2008 semester to conclude on schedule. The Chancellor thanked the many university personnel who have worked diligently for the past two weeks to counter the effects of the flood and ensure that classes could resume as quickly as possible.

As of Thursday, remaining water in north parking lots 1 and 2 had dropped significantly, and Physical Plant personnel were working to pump what little water remained back into the Little Calumet River basin.

Contractors were working to power-wash sidewalks, parking areas and access roads, work that is expected to be complete by Saturday.

Buildings that were affected by flooding continued to be drained and cleaned in preparation for full operational use by Monday, and all heating, cooling and lighting systems had been tested and were verified to be working properly.

The campus grounds will be sprayed for mosquitoes this weekend in order to curb the influx of pests that is a natural by-product of voluminous standing water. Additional spraying is scheduled for the following weekend.

Even so, students, faculty and staff are asked to avoid walking on grassy areas of campus until all lawns have been mowed and mosquitoes are brought under control.

Bergland stated in his announcement that food service at IU Northwest would be fully operational at both the RedHawk Café and Library Café sites on Monday.

Also, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Diane Hodges told the media on Thursday that the university is planning a festive Welcome Back celebration for students next week.

IU Northwest will host a barbecue on campus on Monday and Tuesday, and box lunches will be available on Wednesday and Thursday.

The university will have a disc jockey on hand to provide entertainment, and students will be able to obtain information on relief services, for those who also were affected by the flood, or information on volunteer opportunities, for those who want to help others who were.

IU Northwest faculty have been asked to address the issue of making up class time with their students on Monday and Tuesday of next week, according to Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Kwesi Aggrey.

Aggrey said that his office has extended a variety of options to the faculty with the expectation that each instructor will choose the method that best suits the course material and the needs of the students. One choice might be to schedule additional class time on Fridays, when most classes do not meet, he said. Another option would be to extend the class period by 15 minutes per class. Or, faculty might assign additional out-of-class work.

Amidst the good news that IU Northwest would resume normal operations next week, Bergland on Thursday did announce one unfortunate consequence of the recent floods: the majority of Tamarack Hall, the oldest building on campus and home to Theatre Northwest, will be closed for good as the result of water damage sustained during the flood.

The building’s 600-seat performance auditorium was particularly hard hit, with floodwater reaching six rows up from the low-lying area directly in front of the stage. One wing of Tamarack, that which houses the fine-arts studios, is expected at this time to remain functional, but other areas of the building, which is approximately 50 years old, will be closed.

“The truly unfortunate part of it is that we have a wonderful theatre program here,” Bergland said during media interviews on Thursday. “That theatre ... except for maybe Valparaiso’s theater, it’s probably the best academic theatre in northern Indiana in terms of what’s there and how well it can be used to prepare people. Arts and culture is one of our focus points here. Consequently, this is something we’re very concerned about.

“It’s already on our request to the (Indiana) Legislature for a replacement,” the Chancellor said.

“Our legislative delegation has expressed strong support for it already, as has our (university.)”

Posted 9/26/2008