The Samia Academic Center closed its doors just before noon for the remainder of the day, following a water leak Feb. 9.
Students and faculty across campus received texts and emails from SU Alert at 10:55 a.m. alerting everyone to a water leak in the building, closing the entire academic center, including the dining hall, in its base and canceling all classes and activities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In this initial text, further updates were expected, however students planning to be in Samia were told to utilize neighboring buildings.
“We will provide an update regarding classes scheduled after 2:00 p.m. as soon as more information is available. Students planning to be in the Samia Academic Building can utilize space in Sawyer or 73 Tremont. We will continue to update the community as more information becomes available,” stated SU Alert in their first notice.
A second text was sent out at 1 p.m., declaring all classes would be moved to continuity of learning. Student Affairs sent out an email just over an hour later stating that all students living on campus should look towards other dining options on campus, emphasizing the Sargent Dining Hall, which would be open until 7:30 p.m. for dinner service and the options available in the Smith Residents Hall that would stay open until 10 p.m.
All on-campus students were given access to the 150 Tremont Street dining option, despite the Smith Residence Hall typically only being accessible for residents or students signed in under a resident’s name, with the exception of the Modern/10 West students who can enter regularly.
A final update was sent by SU Alert via email at 7:14 p.m. on Feb. 10, notifying students that Samia would return to normal operations the following day, excluding a few classrooms due to damage.
“In-person classes will resume in all spaces except classrooms B17 and B18, which will remain offline as restoration work continues. Students with classes scheduled in B17 or B18 should monitor their email for further direction from the faculty teaching their course,” SU Alert stated in their email to students and faculty.
Further explanation of the incident that caused the closure was provided.
“A sprinkler head ruptured, causing a water leak that affected portions of the cafeteria and lower-level classrooms. The fire alarm system activated as designed, and Boston Fire responded. Because water service to the building was temporarily shut off, the building was evacuated as a precaution. SUPD and Facilities responded immediately. Water service has since been restored, and remediation work remains underway on the affected lower floors. Community members may continue to see crews working in those areas,” SU Alert stated. “We appreciate the community’s cooperation and flexibility as this work continues.”
