Cooke and Hochstetter halls, home of UB's pharmacy and biological science disciplines that have been slowly sinking several inches each year, finally began to visibly collapse when many students were on spring break
"I have to admit, we saw this coming for quite some time now," said Michael Dupre, associate vice president of university facilities. "We tried to keep the structural weaknesses 'hush hush,' so as not to alarm the student body unnecessarily," he said.
The structure, which is collapsing from the center, is still in use, although basement facilities such as the pharmacy library, the student lounge, a few classrooms and computer labs are no longer safe for occupancy.
"I'm going to actually have to leave the pharmacy building to check my e-mail now," said Katie Copper, a senior biology major.
Developers have long feared that UB's North Campus, built extensively on drained swamps and the wetlands characteristic of Amherst, would sink into the unstable, primarily clay topsoil.
City of Buffalo activists are using the situation to resurrect criticisms of SUNY's decision to construct the second campus in the suburbs, rather than on the waterfront.
"We told them so," said one old-timer, summing up their position. "That's what you get when you build a multi-million dollar campus on swamplands."
While buildings on the Academic Spine have been shifting imperceptibly over the years, their foundations are more solid than Cooke and Hochstetter, which are isolated from the rest of the structures and located on a precipitous incline.
Dupre said the heavy precipitation over the last few months, coupled with rainstorms over the past couple of days saturated the soil surrounding the buildings' foundations, causing them to cave in.
"We're currently appointing a committee to gauge the extent of the damage and their report, which will be reviewed by the administration, is scheduled to be issued no later than July," said Dupre.
UB's Earthquake Research Center, headquartered in Ellicott was ecstatic with the news. "Now we finally have an application for all our research!" said Andrei Reinhorn, professor of structural engineering. "It's no West Coast tremor, but the concept is the same."
Rumors that the "shake tables," earthquake simulators located in Ketter Hall, provided the impetus for Cooke's collapse were denied by top administrative officials.
Pharmacy and biology students and faculty expressed strong views on the buildings' demise.
"I find it very interesting that the bio and pharm buildings were built on unstable ground," said Lynn Jacobsen, a professor of pharmaceutics. "That really shows how low on the totem poll these programs are in the eyes of SUNY."
"I don't care," said Jeremiah Partolomieu, a junior pharmacy major. "I'll still be making $85,000 when I graduate."
Wayne K. Anderson, dean of the pharmacy school, seemed relatively calm about his building's fate. "Maybe now the school will actually be able to move to South Campus, like we've been planning for over a decade."
After masking his apparent glee with the situation, Anderson added, "Don't get me wrong, I don't wish ill on Cooke Hall, but I can't say I'm displeased with the rather, shall we say, opportune turn of events."
Administrators urge students to remain calm and focus on their studies until the situation is properly addressed.
"I can't believe we don't even get out of classes for this," said Jordanna Weidman, a first-year pharmacy student.
