GARY | Indiana University Northwest welcomed back thousands of students, staff and faculty Monday with an old-fashioned barbecue of hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and pink lemonade.
The lunch was moved indoors to the Library-Conference Center lobby on 35th Avenue. A whiff of hot dogs and mustard greeted students, who walked in the door and lined up to get something to eat between classes.
It signaled the beginning of better times for the university, which was closed for two weeks following the devastation of remnants of Hurricane Ike, which left more than 10 inches of rain in most areas and flooding throughout homes and businesses in the region. The flooding was so bad that Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels secured a federal disaster declaration for Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, paving the way for federal relief money.
The campus' main parking lot was flooded, and the water just began to recede last week. University officials have said Tamarack Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus, suffered the most damage and will be closed permanently. A small, newer portion on the southeast side of the building where fine arts studios are located will remain open.
Chancellor Bruce Bergland, who stopped to talk to people as he walked through the Library-Conference Center, said Tamarack was built in 1957. He said the building was constructed at a low point on the campus and has always had "water problems."
Bergland said there already was a plan approved to construct a new building on campus at a cost of $22 million. He said with the damage to Tamarack Hall, the cost will escalate by a "few million dollars."
He said IU officials met with legislators a week ago to talk about the building, and increased costs because of the flooding.
"We intend to construct a building on higher ground that is not susceptible to flooding," he said, adding damage to other buildings was minimal. Bergland said evaluation of the heating system and other building machinery will continue at each building.
Otto Jefimenko, IUN's physical plant director, said the buildings and parking lots were pressure-washed and disinfected.
He said work to clean the buildings and grounds began Wednesday, a day after floodwater receded. He said emergency pumps are on hand just in case there are additional problems because much of Gleason Park still is under water.
Meanwhile, students, staff and faculty were thrilled to get back to school.
Freshman Santia Burnett, 19, of Gary, said she saw the water in the parking lot and it was bad. "It looked like our basement," she said, adding she and her family threw out furniture and clothes.
Burnett, who also works at Toys R Us when she isn't in class, said she was able to keep up with her history assignments because the professor e-mailed them to her.
IUN spokesman Chris Sheid said IUN offers an online learning system and several professors used that, e-mail or met with students off campus.
Freshman Keith Fisher, 20, of Highland, said he, too, spent his two weeks off helping family with flood cleanup.
Associate biology professor Spencer Cortwright, who is in his 16th year at IUN, stopped to pick up a hot dog. He said he works with the nature preserve just north of campus, which was flooded.
"I was out working on that. My job will be to see how the plants respond to all that water," he said.
