At approximately 9 a.m. in the morning on September 3, Langston University buildings were closed due to a fire that started from an electrical surge on the first floor of Hamilton Hall. This electrical surge caused the Langston Fire and Rescue Department, and Campus Police to arrive on the scene to direct students the opposite way.
“That was very unexpected. I had a class that was about to start … so it kind of threw me off guard,” English Professor Marlon Edwards said. Many teachers sat outside of one of the nearby buildings to send out class cancellation emails to their students. Around 2 p.m., Langston Public Relations office prompted student organizations to cancel events occurring that evening, causing some to gather on zoom meetings.
In the following week, Hamilton Hall was back open while Jones Hall (one of the affected buildings) was still closed. The disruption and or fluctuation of classrooms would have put a slight dent in regular operations. According to Edwards, his classes were moved to several places before being remote; to finding a classroom, back to being remote because of the electrical fire. “These are comp one classes, so these are freshmen… you worry about them…they already have to deal with so much… I kind of feel like I’m taking the students on a ride,” Edwards said. “Since the semester has been kind of unpredictable anyway, a lot of them have been doing really well.”
Currently Jones Hall is still down and could potentially be out of commission for a few more weeks. Hopefully students and teachers can return to the physical classroom, but, “As long as I have that preparation, then I can prepare for the students the best way possible.” Edwards said.
Jordan Sinkfield
Staff Writer
Jordan Sinkfield is a junior broadcast journalism major.
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