UPDATE: TLC to partially open for classes, ISUB stays closed

Some building functions scheduled to reopen Monday despite flooding last Friday

Crews stand by while University of Idaho facilities staff pump water from the ISUB/TLC basement. Lex Miller | Argonaut

UPDATE: Temporary power will be restored to the Teaching and Learning Center Nov. 11 to allow some classes in the building to resume. The ISUB remains closed and all scheduled activities planned through Dec. 1 have been relocated.

Any class not returning to the TLC Monday can be located at the online class schedule site.

Staff and offices normally in the TLC/ISUB will continue to be relocated. Information on those office relocations can be found here.

Due to scheduling and relocations, no new event space requests will be filled for the remainder of the semester for both the TLC/ISUB and the Pitman Center, according to an email news release.

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The Teaching and Learning Center and ISUB on campus remain closed due to flooding in the building’s basement caused by a failure in the backwashing water filtration system.  

The sump pumps for the filtration system failed to remove excess water from the backwashing system, causing 18 inches of water buildup in the basement and damaging a transformer in the building.

A portion of classes may resume in their TLC locations Monday, Vice Provost of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Blaine Eckles said. As a precaution, the Registrar’s Office will be organizing a backup schedule of class relocations.

“They have to test electrical loads to see if we can actually get the power back on without burning it out and causing the problem to be worse,” Eckles said. “If you have a class, come with your phones charged and your laptops, don’t plan on plugging those into the wall, because you’ll likely see signs that say don’t plug anything in.”

ICYMI: Initial reporting on the TLC flood

Instructors will be notified if their classes are scheduled to resume in the TLC, and from there they will notify students in those classes.

Reopening the building is contingent on the installation of a new transformer — roughly the size of a projector screen — adjacent to the TLC.

Students can get updates from the university ISUB updates page. The page is updated every 35 minutes, ensuring students have access to timely information.

Students who have any further questions not answered by information provided on the website are encouraged to reach out to their instructors or other faculty members.

There is currently no cost estimation for building repairs.  

The Argonaut will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

This article has been corrected to state administrative offices have been relocated through the week of Nov. 10.

Nicole Hindberg and Meredith Spelbring contributed to this report

Rachele Catt can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @RACHELE_CATT 

About the Author

Rachele Catt I am an English major graduating spring 2021. I write for news for the Argonaut.

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