TAMU-Commerce Historical Building Suffers A

Non-Threatening Section Collapsing

By: Luis Rasgado

Whitley Hall, a well known historical building constructed in 1969 and now home to 466 students this Spring 2012 semester, suffered a collapsing of a section on the east side of the 12th floor, this past Sunday. Various investigations followed after the incident and the reports stated that the brick veneer that detached from the building was part of the exterior and not part of the structure that supports the building. The university police department reported that no one was injured or any valuable material damaged.

“Based on the investigation, the incident was a unique situation where bricks pulled away from the building and not by a structural defect,” said David McKenna, assistant vice president for facilities and support services. “We plan to install a locking system that will ensure that the brick veneer and other exterior building elements are secure and do not pose a risk to the university community.”

Whitley Hall will have further inspections and will start the process of repairing the collapsed section immediately. All students are asked to enter at the front of the building and to park away from the closed sections.

________