Moisture has been disrupting the activities of faculty and staff who occupy the part of the the first floor of Post Hall facing Overbrook Avenue, for several months.
Building occupants believed this to be a water-related problem, but Ken Ogawa, executive director of Facilities Management, said there is not a water leak on the first floor of Post Hall.
Rather, the problem is related to the steam used to heat Post Hall.
“Rain water is saturating the ground outside of the building,” Ogawa wrote in response to written questions from The Hawk. “When that water reaches the steam pipe, it changes to steam and enters a crawl space below the first floor.”
Elizabeth Lee, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, whose office is on the first floor of Post Hall, said these issues have impacted how she uses her office space.
“When I’ve had students who have come to try to meet with me, they’re very cold and/or it’s too smelly,” Lee said. “So we sit somewhere else, which, on a short term basis, is fine, but on a long term basis is certainly problematic.”
Lindsey Spiegel ’26, a work study student in the sociology department, similarly said she has noticed a “weird smell” when she works in Post Hall.
“We’ve been cracking open doors to get air circulation,” Spiegel said.
Ogawa said Post Hall is safe for students and faculty to continue activities in the building despite odors from the water issues.
Spiegel said the smell has gotten better in Post Hall first floor sociology offices over time.
“They turned off the heating in the building once it started warming up, and the heating is what was contributing to the smell,” Spiegel said. “So, ever since then, the smell has been a lot better.”
Ogawa said facilities management will begin repairs this summer on the steam pipe.
“Numerous tests have been completed to determine possible root causes [of the problem],” Ogawa wrote. “The investigation is still in progress. However, repairs will require digging up a portion of the plaza between Post Hall and Bellarmine Hall.”
