COVID-19 Catch Up
COVID-19 Catch Up
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NEWS
Pipes Burst Across Campus
February 5, 2023 : Henry Shobert
Photos of the damage in Zoe Bricker's apartment
Over winter break, MVNU suffered numerous incidents of pipes bursting across the campus. In total, pipes burst in four separate locations, all of which were student housing areas.
Assistant facilities director Dennis Dennison explained that each incident offered its own challenge. In terms of resolving the dilemma at hand, Dennison said, “It's different in every location depending on the damage. In most of the locations, we had to pull out all the drywall and all the carpet.” According to Dennison, all the affected students had to be relocated. He remarked, “Some of the places were a total loss. They won’t be ready to move in until next semester.”
Regarding the occurrence of the incident and possible preventive measures that can be considered for the future, Dennison exclaimed, “It was kind of a perfect storm situation. Had the campus been occupied, we wouldn’t have had the breaks that we had. There are steps that can be taken to keep from having the problem; make sure windows are closed and heat is on.” Dennison alleged that the affected locations all had open windows. In residences in which no windows were left open, there were no incidents of burst pipes.
Zoe Bricker, one of the affected students, discussed her situation. She said, “A lot of my stuff got ruined. The bookshelf, my guitar, and the stuff on my desk were all ruined.” In her residence, a pipe burst in the ceiling of her room downstairs, she explained; however, the upstairs rooms were unharmed. In terms of how MVNU would be assisting Bricker and her roommate, she stated, “They said there wasn’t a lot that could be done. They said in the handbook, you should have renters' insurance in case something like this happens. They said they can’t cover all of it, but they’ll cover some of it.” She also wanted it to be known that both Director of Campus Life Tiffany Van Dame and Resident Director Travis Porter were both very helpful in the process of resolving the incident.
Student responsibility regarding unwarranted damage to their personal property can be found on page 80 of the MVNU student handbook.
Water Main Break on Campus
By Brandon Ehrenburg
On Sept. 29, MVNU students left lunch at the Hyson Campus Center to be greeted by water pouring out of the ground, and one of the students reported what had happened to the facilities. Dennis Dennison, Assistant Director of Building Trades, stated, “We’re super thankful that he called when he did. Had he waited, it would have been impossible to turn the repair as quickly as we did. The main water lines in the Mount Vernon area are old. The water infrastructure for the Hyson Campus Center was originally installed in 1968. It’s not uncommon for a pipe laid in the ground 54 years ago to develop cracks from years of settling earth. We stock band clamps just in case we have issues like this on campus.”
At 3:30 p.m., they rented a mini excavator from Holmes Rental. Ben Cook, facilities director, was able to secure it before they closed at 4. That tool was instrumental in completing the quick repair. They called in Jake Gray, MEP coordinator, to operate the mini-excavator and Brian Ickes, campus electrician, to make the repairs. Bob Qualls and Zeno Middleton, second- and first-shift service leads, canvased the campus trying to post as many out-of-order signs as they could to prevent the situation from growing into a new emergency. The team dug and pumped water out of the sight for four and one-half hours before locating the cracked pipe 8.5 feet below the surface.
At 9 p.m., thanks to the providence of God and a whole team effort, the repair was complete, the water was turned back on, and Lasting Impressions Concrete was then contracted to repair the sidewalks. The campus community is truly thankful for MVNU’s amazing facilities team and everything they do around campus.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at MVNU
November 2, 2022 : Ben Alexander
MVNU Giving Day is a 24-hour online fundraising event where alumni, parents, staff, family and the community come together to support the university. This collaboration will provide funds to develop, inspire, equip and support the next generation of vocational leaders, practitioners, stewards and ambassadors.
The six major departments receiving specialized grants are the University Fund, Arts and Music, Athletics, Campus Ministries, Student Experience and Student Research; and if the donor chooses, they can donate funds to specific departments. For example, The MVNU Senior Leadership Team has pledged a combined $10,000 to the MVNU University Fund.
Bruce and Roberta Granger supported the excellence and beauty of the MVNU art and music programs. The Grangers have painted the backdrop by pledging the first $10,000 towards this area. The MVNU Board of Trustees has pledged a combined lead gift of $20,000 to support the life-changing impact of Campus Ministries. Kaye and Daniel Ranke have pledged $10,000 of dollar-for-dollar matching funds to enhance the MVNU student experience in honor of Kaye’s mother, Nota McCall, who was the resident director of Pioneer Hall for 20 years. Alex and Kim Doverspike and Curt and Deanna Gingrich have pledged a combined lead gift of $25,000 to MVNU Student Research.
After all the donations were counted, the final numbers on MVNU Giving day were 661 donors with pledges totaling $253,625. President Spaulding stated that “Giving Day was a great success for the university. It represents an opportunity to broaden the number of people who participate in the mission of MVNU. I want to thank everyone who participated in the event.” With the huge success of Giving Day, it is hoped that this event can continue for years to come.