Campus Tragedy Information

• All students living in the mods fueled by propane for water and/or heating have been moved to either on-campus apartments or apartments the college secured at the nearby privately-owned Evergreen Gardens complex.
• Thorough inspections of all student housing structures have been conducted, including the modular units, A Dorm and 14 apartment buildings with 403 bedrooms.
• The inspections included assessment of heating, electrical and fire systems; potential water intrusion areas (bathrooms, under the sinks, window frames, ceilings and floors) and mildew; ventilation; windows; door security; and appliances.
• A comprehensive list of maintenance issues has been compiled and work orders have been populated to address each finding one by one. Some of the work that needs to be done is deferred maintenance and others are new discoveries.
• Addressing the heating systems, which includes reviewing ventilation and window replacements, is the priority. We have hired MacDonald Miller, an outside contractor, to assess the heating system and repair any identified deficiencies. Our goal is to have all heating fully operational by the end of Spring Break.
• Also, over Spring Break, custodial staff will be cleaning all apartment bathroom walls and ceilings. Any further work will be conducted over the summer when spaces are unoccupied.
• We are consulting with an outside contractor to review all the exhaust systems in the apartments and propose upgrades. Meanwhile, maintenance of the existing building exhaust system vents and ducts will begin over Spring Break and continue until complete.
• Windowsills will be cleaned over Spring Break to remove mildew. During the summer months, all windows will be stripped of existing caulking and resealed. The sills will also be sanded, stained, and varnished.
• Remaining work will be done over Summer Break when fewer students will be in residence.
• As is common in the Pacific Northwest, some campus housing structures have experienced an influx of brown marmorated stink bugs. A pest control company has determined that several trees nearby are infested with the insects. The trees will be treated to prevent further spread and keep them off the buildings in the future.
• The Board of Trustees approved an allocation of $1 million from their contingency reserve fund to address housing facilities issues, among other things.
• While we continue working on maintenance of existing housing, renovation of Dorm B has begun to provide more space and more options for current and new students for Fall Quarter 2024.
• We are hiring a residential facilities manager to focus on Residential and Dining facilities. When that position is filled, they will coordinate maintenance work for Residential and Dining facilities and will report to Campus Facilities in Administrative Operations. The Residential and Dining student worker program will continue as an essential part of this work.
• Two students have joined the college’s Senior Leadership Team. This is in direct response to a request from the Geoduck Student Union to have student representation on the team.
• All student housing workers will be attending CPR/First Aid training in April. Many others have already participated in the recent Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)/Stop the Bleed training and more will be attending the next one.
• College housing has updated the fire and life safety systems protocols for the student workers program and after-hours duty staff.
• General safety training has been increased through the hiring of a custodian to oversee and lead that work.
• Training is planned for the entire after-hours staff, resident assistants and maintenance staff to prepare the teams on how to interact with first responders, and fire department personnel and to clarify what role they play on the campus after hours.

Dear Evergreen Community,