Sam Phil Basement closed off due to the presence of asbestos.
Classes have not met in the basement of Samuel Phillips Hall (Sam Phil) since February 6. While cleaning up flood damage caused by the campus-wide power outage two weeks prior, the Office of Physical Plant (OPP) detected asbestos in the basement of Sam Phil, resulting in the displacement of several classes in various campus locations. For the time being, tarps and bright yellow caution tape are blocking all entry to the basement, though classes on the first and second floors have resumed. It is still unclear when the Sam Phil basement will reopen.
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring, silicate minerals that can cause lung diseases and cancers through ingestive exposure. After the discovery of asbestos in the floor tiles, OPP immediately began the removal process. Joe Lobuono, Director of Facilities at OPP, reassured the campus community that the material, as it was before being disturbed, did not pose a health risk.
“Asbestos can only be harmful with exposure if it is pulverized and/or airborne for a long period of time. Asbestos is not dangerous to humans if in solid form or good shape. Because it was in floor tiles that just became loose from the floor, it is not considered a danger to anyone in the space or throughout the building,” wrote Lobuono in an email to The Phillipian.
Clearing asbestos requires containing, removing, and sealing the material, a process that is often both time and labor-intensive. The flooding cleanup also involved the replacement of the flooring in the basement; the tiles being removed contained asbestos, necessitating specialized cleanup techniques. Marcelle Doheny, Instructor in History and Social Sciences, elaborated on the cleaning operations and the uncertainty of when teaching can resume in basement classrooms.
“You have to make sure there is no mold, which involves so many steps… it’s complicated because water creates so many issues, and they have to be really careful with mold and make sure that everything is clean, dried, and treated. We don’t know for sure when we will move back, we’re hoping next week. But once you start cleaning old buildings, you might find other things that need work, so I don’t think the timeline is set,” said Doheny.
Classes have been moved to various buildings throughout campus, including the Gelb Science Center and the Elson Art Center (Elson). For Sarah Samoluk ’26, whose History and Russian classes have been affected, class activities and learning has not been significantly affected. However, Samoluk shared how it felt to learn in a different setting than usual.
“It is a little unsettling, just because you get so used to being in a classroom for a certain subject and once you step into that space, that’s your focus. To be in Elson, which is primarily for the visual arts, for that to be now where you are learning Russian and History, it doesn’t have the same feel to our previous classrooms,” said Samoluk.
Some challenges have also arisen from the fact that students are learning subjects in spaces not intended to teach them. Vedant Bajaj ’28, whose history class was relocated to Elson, spoke on challenges the class faced while taking a test in an art studio.
“We had an in-class write, and the art room in Elson seriously disrupted how our normal tests would go, because of two reasons. First, the tables in Elson are very different from the tables in Sam Phil in that they are not smooth. Writing on the paper was super difficult because the table had a very weird texture. Secondly… we were all very packed next to each other. We didn’t have enough space and also we could see each other’s papers,” said Bajaj.
Additionally, due to the flooding, the asbestos discovery, and the subsequent removal process, many materials and artifacts in basement classrooms may have been damaged. Samoluk shared how some items in her teachers’ classrooms were affected.
“There were some artifacts, like personal collection items, that [my history teacher] had in the basement, and so those things were top priority for him [to get out]. But I can’t imagine how much damage there probably is down there. I know that they had ripped up the floors and everything, but just thinking about my Russian classroom too, there are so many materials in there that we use as a class and have been there for many years. I don’t think anyone was really expecting it to be flooding, so I’m sure those items are no longer in their previous state,” said Samoluk.
Faculty and students conveyed appreciation toward OPP. Christopher Jones, Instructor and Head of the History and Social Sciences Department, expressed gratitude for OPP’s communication and work toward attenuating the issue.
“The head of OPP, Joe LoBuono, has kept us informed with daily updates. His team has been doing a fantastic job getting the basement back in working condition again. We are so appreciative of the effort of OPP to handle this unexpected situation,” said Jones.
