Fox Hall Fire: Where Is Everything Now? 

After the fire in Fox Hall on August 4, all offices and staff members in the building were reallocated to different locations on campus, including Owen D. Young Library and Priest Hall. 

The Director of Libraries at SLU, John Payne, highlighted the changes in ODY due to the fire. “Offices for five staff members from Fox were moved to ODY—two Science Library staff, and three Student Accessibility Services staff,” he said. “ODY is also the site for the SAS testing rooms for this year.” The books that the students checked out the most in the past were also moved to ODY. Payne promises to respond to student requests through the library website for anything else that is still available in the Science Library. The students can have their items ready for pickup in ODY the next day. 

These changes also required sacrifices to be made, such as turning two group study rooms into temporary offices. “I hate having to do that, because group study rooms are always in demand, but it was necessary,” Payne said. “Several faculty members gave up their research carrels for the year to use as SAS testing rooms, and one librarian gave up her office for use by SAS staff.” 

Carl Berg, the new director of student accessibility services, reminded students that his and his assistant’s offices are rooms 5A and 5B on the lowest level of the ODY Library. “We are still using the software and hardware that we used in the previous academic year and trying to make it as seamless as possible,” he said. Berg suggests students refer to their website for the accommodation request process and has an open-door policy for students to ask questions. 

Colleen Coakley, the associate director for advising, retention, and student success, reflected on the changes for her office after the fire. “The biggest change after the fire, beyond needing to find a new space, is that we’re not in the same building as Student Accessibility Services right now due to the necessity of a bigger space for testing,” she said. Coakley expects her office to be in Priest Hall for a while. “In my understanding, we are prepared to be here for the academic year,” she said. 

She observed a slight decrease in the number of students coming to the office, but hopes more students will visit by the time they get used to the new location. She also shares an alternative way to access the Academic Advising. “Outside of the Priest Hall, we have drop-in hours every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in front of the Student Center,” she said.