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<br />From a student's
<br />perspective: The
<br />reopening
<br />By Heidi Hill, '97
<br />
<br />I ventured into the Lory
<br />Student Center the firsllime this
<br />fall purely out of curiosity. I'd
<br />heard horror stories about
<br />mammoth bookstore lines and
<br />an hours' long wail in the gO-
<br />degree heat. I had no intention
<br />of buying books until I was sure
<br />the lines at the temporary
<br />bookstore were shorter. bull
<br />was curiolls about the whole
<br />selup.
<br />r wasn't surprised to see a
<br />line extending out of the new-
<br />east wing doors, but I was
<br />surprised to hear the sounds of
<br />music coming from the other
<br />side of the line. As I walked
<br />closer, I saw a woman stationed
<br />in Ihe middie of the lobby,
<br />singing and playing piano. The
<br />bookstore had live entertain-
<br />ment? They never did that lor us
<br />before, As I learned over the
<br />next few weeks, the flood
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />brought more than just
<br />deslruetion. II brought
<br />opportunities for renewal and
<br />change as well.
<br />On the first day of school,
<br />the average wait at the
<br />bookstore was about 45
<br />minutes. but most students were
<br />underslanding aboul the delay.
<br />"Sure it's frustrating to stand in
<br />line, but Ilhink CSU is doing a
<br />great job," said biological
<br />science major Ryan Mackie. "A
<br />natural disaster came through
<br />here, and things will take lime to
<br />get back on track. J think things
<br />are better than I ex peeled Ihey
<br />would be."
<br />To pass the time in line, the
<br />student center offered music
<br />and videos of flood coverage.
<br />live entertainment included a
<br />juggler and the aforementioned
<br />piano player. Prize giveaways
<br />and a raffle for 10 book
<br />scholarships further passed the
<br />time.
<br />The temporary bookstore
<br />consisted of a 3,500 square4foot
<br />
<br />fundraisers 10 help Ihe sludents begin 10 make Iheir Iil'es again,
<br />Campuswide, facult)'. students, and staff demonstrated patience,
<br />flexibility. and understandingin light of some of the limitations brought
<br />. abum by Ihe flood, Class leclures were jugglcd, and a."ignment due dales
<br />extended. Some labs were taught later ill tJle semester rather than earlier
<br />lu allow for Ihe facilities 10 be broughl back up to par.
<br />The olllpouring of slIpport and concern from alumni and the
<br />cornnumitywas overwhelming and heartening. \\'11en Project Promise,
<br />loc;.ltcd in the basement of the Education Building, lost all ofitsmaterials
<br />just as it" ll'n4111onth teacher-lraining program was about to begin.
<br />Direclor Bob Richburg didn 'I knoll' how cJassesconld commence, By July
<br />29,23 Projecl-I'romisegraduates had called 10 ask II'hallhe)'Could do 10
<br />help.
<br />Duriug Ihe weeks after the flood, Unil'ersity Adl'ancement helped
<br />coordinate \'oIUllleerefforls. A flood recon'ry fund was alsoestablished
<br />and is still acccplingdonatiolls, \"hich are bcing awarded to indhiduals
<br />whose losses arc notcm'cred b}' insurancc. A \'icit,'o, "Aflcrthe flood, "was
<br />cre;lted, which documcnts thedevastation to campus. as well asclean~up
<br />and restora~on dforl'i. Proceeds from the\ideo, which sellsforSIO,go
<br />10 Ihe flood l'CCO\'e.)' fuud (see page 31),
<br />In ('arl}' ~O\'emher, The Wal('r Cenler at Colorado Slate Uni\'ersit}'
<br />hoslt'~1 a flood conferellce, imiling experts to make presentalions on
<br />mrious aspeclsofthc Ilood, St;uc climatologist TOI11 McKec dcscribed tJlC
<br />, atmospheric circumsf;,mccs surrounding the slorl11 that took the city by
<br />ASIt'lJrise, Fori O)lIiusciIJ'lnauag~rJohu Fischbach 1:t1ked aboulth~cilY'S
<br />_response to lhl' cn~l1l. Olher tOpiCS Illcluckd a hlsloncal O\'eI11CW of
<br />floods in Fort Collins, urban drainage and flood control, de\'(~loping a
<br />flash.flood lahoratol)" and lessons we have learned from the flood. In
<br />addition, human development and famil)' studies Professor Kc\in
<br />t4 Cd.J1,,,t,,,'ildItU,,il'ff.Jty Il'illlrrl99].9/j
<br />
<br />area with makeshift cash
<br />register counters made of
<br />plywood and a back room
<br />packed tighlly with shelves of
<br />books. Additional books were
<br />stored in trailers outside, The
<br />temporary space was so full
<br />there was no room to browse
<br />through shelves. Instead.
<br />students brought their COurse
<br />schedules to bookstore helpers
<br />(regular staff and lots of
<br />volunteers) and waited while
<br />their books were retrieved,
<br />The bookstore's inventory
<br />of used books was wiped out, so
<br />they offered new books at a
<br />seven-percent discount. "The
<br />decision we faced was either to
<br />go with all new books and have
<br />the most lilies available or Iry to
<br />track down used books and
<br />have many fewer titles for
<br />students when they starled the
<br />semester:' said University
<br />Bookstore Director John Parry.
<br />"To locate used books just
<br />weeks before the fall semester
<br />would not have been possible,
<br />
<br />We realize that new books cost
<br />more than used ones, so the
<br />discount helped offset the
<br />increased cost:' The bookstore
<br />opened with 80- to gO-percent of
<br />textbooks needed for the
<br />semester.
<br />The bookstore found a
<br />temporary location, but the
<br />bowling alley, game room,
<br />theater, restaurants. and the
<br />Ramskeller are gone and won'l
<br />be replaced so quickly. Students
<br />and staff had the opportunity to
<br />suggest new amenities for the
<br />lower level of the building betore
<br />engineers and architects began
<br />planning, Offices for Campus TV,
<br />Rocky Mountain Col/egian,
<br />Silver Spruce, and KCSU had to
<br />be relocated. All student media
<br />moved to the old Fort Collins
<br />High School Annex on
<br />Remington Street. east of
<br />College Avenue. "At first it [the
<br />Annex) was a little chaotic:' said
<br />Chad Truemper, a sophomore
<br />who works for the Collegian.
<br />"The location is a IiUle
<br />
<br />Oltienbruns, an ex perl in grieving and a flood ',ctim herself, discussed
<br />the emotional cost." of thc flood,
<br />
<br />What the future holds
<br />
<br />Defining thccause of damage to theColoiddo Statecampuswil! be
<br />the deciding factor in how much insllrdllce co\'erage the UniversitywiII
<br />recei\'e, sa}'S Gerry Romoni, lice president for Administrative Semces.
<br />One definition offlood isan existing bod)'of waler going beyond it\
<br />boundaries, a descriptionlhal cerrainlrapplies 10 the property damage
<br />Ihat occurred inlhe Spring Creek area. BUIll,e damage Ihal occurred on
<br />Ihe Main Campus may hal'e resulted from what the Federal Emergenc)'
<br />Management Agency describes as "sheet flow", which occurs when
<br />stornl\'..uer Oln..off exceeds the capacit}, orthe drainage system, creating
<br />a flash-flood sheet flow, such as that which swept across the intramural
<br />field and the west la\ll1 oflhe sludenl cenler,
<br />"The final determination of Ihat technical definition is the differ-
<br />ence belween insurance limitsof$25million and$250 million, "Bomotti
<br />S.1)~. "Those issues are still being debaled:
<br />In the meantime, reconslmclion continues. According to Bomotti,
<br />by uext falllhe Colorado S~lle campus should be in beller coudition
<br />than il was prior 10 the flood.
<br />Allhe lime of Ihe flood, a ficus Iree in Ihe R.lmskelJer had been
<br />ripped from its bed and smashed "olellll)' againsl Ihe wesl windows
<br />looking out to the lagoon. Studelllct:lltcr horticultmist Cecelia Os,l(]S<H\~arJ
<br />nursed the trec back to health. She removed lhe contaminated soil and
<br />replaced it \lilh fresh, healthy soil. She pruned Ihe Iree and plan led il
<br />uprighl in its new bed, Today, Ihe ficus reaches up 10 Ihe skylighl in Ihe
<br />atrium above, a symbol oflife and a leslament to the enduring nature of
<br />Ihe human spirit..
<br />
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