IU Northwest campus closed through Sept. 29

The IU-Northwest campus in Gary will remain closed for a second week as parts of the campus are still under water.

All events and classes have been canceled through this week and campus is expected to reopen Sept. 29.

Flooding occurred as a result of the remnants of Hurricane Ike, which hit the area Sept. 14 and backed up many of the campus storm sewers, said Chris Sheid, marketing communications specialist for IU-Northwest.

“There was such a volume of water that the water was coming back up and onto campus,” Sheid said.

The sewer water has been bubbling up on campus, especially in crawl spaces and mechanical rooms, Sheid said.

IU President Michael McRobbie and other University officials traveled to Gary on Friday afternoon to see the campus.

“President McRobbie decided it was important for him to personally see the damage firsthand,” said Michael Sample, vice president for public affairs and government relations, who accompanied McRobbie on the trip.

As of Monday, some parking lots and buildings are still under water. Sheid said the theater in Tamarack Hall took on water, as did some of the academic offices and classrooms.

Sample said damages are still being assessed, and officials will have to wait until the water has completely receded before knowing its full effect.

The flooding continued to worsen last week as the Little Calumet River just north of campus overflowed, adding to the standing water, Sheid said.

Sheid said the water has been receding slowly, and cleaning crews have been sanitizing areas after water has drained. He added that people are being told to stay off campus for their protection from bacteria in the river water.

Sheid said some teachers have been in contact with their students over the break.

The IU-Northwest Office of Academic Affairs is currently working on a plan to enable teachers to make up the two lost weeks, Sheid said. Options may include adding Friday classes or extending class length.

“I have no reason at this point to believe that we will not meet this goal,” Sheid said in regards to reopening the campus on Sept. 29.