The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) is relocating more than 200 students because of water damage to one of the school’s newest residence halls.
The Kansas City Star reports that students in the Oak Place Apartments had lodged many complaints about water leaks and damage to walls and flooring. The university found a large number of pipes in the building had leaks.
The leaks were stopped for the short term, but more extensive repairs are required, so beginning in January, students will have to find someplace else to live for the spring semester.
Oak Place, designed to house upperclassmen and graduate students, consists of two four-story apartment complexes separated by an above-ground parking structure. It houses about 500 students.
University officials expect the building to be in full use for the fall 2018 semester
The university says it will help students find other housing either on campus or in off-campus units owned by the university.
Students opting to terminate their university housing contract to hunt down other living arrangements won’t be charged the normal contract severing fees.
“We are still investigating the root cause of this problem, which we believe stems from the original construction before UMKC purchased the building,” Interim Chancellor and provost Barbara A. Bichelmeyer said in an email. “We evaluated every possible scenario with the goal of minimizing disruption to students while we remediate the damage to the facility in a timely manner."
