Paying attention in class is already difficult enough for many people, but how about trying to pay attention to your teacher whilst the building you’re sitting in is torn down at the same time?
That is exactly what students at Appalachian State University are going through right now. More specifically the art department, in a video posted to TikTok, user Sarahe.Vann documented her experience trying to learn in a building that is actively being demolished. Not sure what it is with the U.S. education system lately, but this isn’t the first time we’ve seen shocking behavior from a school system on the app this week.
In the clips shared, we see what looks like a bomb site just outside the classroom door, which clearly used to open out into a corridor, but now leads straight into a wasteland. Concrete and debris litter the ground, we see things being thrown from higher floors, and hear a loud jackhammer all whilst students are trying to pay attention to their class.
The university made the baffling decision to continue lessons in the building whilst the upper floor was demolished rather than relocate students elsewhere. To be fair, classes were moved that didn’t require use of the heavy equipment that was still in the building — the only problem was they were moved to a condemned building, arguably just as bad as the one being demolished.
It’s a serious safety hazard
Aside from the obvious risks, Sarah explains that there was no working A/C, and the vents were not working properly, which is vital in a metal studio containing potentially harmful gasses. When the vents do work, they blow cold air into a room that was already too cold, as it’s still winter! There’s also no wheelchair access, meaning some students might not even be able to attend, although they probably wouldn’t want to anyway.
Whilst all these concerns were raised, it seemed clear that the department did not care. It wasn’t until two incidents, with one allegedly being a piece of concrete falling from the ceiling and almost hitting a student (this was later confirmed to not be what happened), that professors told students not to enter the building.
If parts of the building are falling into the classroom, this poses a serious risk to safety; not only could it hit a student, but there are also huge acetylene tanks, and “if they fall the pressure will cause an explosion that will collapse the whole building,” according to Sarah. While all this is happening, the students are still expected to either carry on in an unsafe environment, or somehow complete their work from home, despite not having access to the required tools. Bear in mind, they had to pay for this privilege as well.
Pretty much all comments were very supportive of Sarah and her fellow classmates’ situation, and several expressed serious concern over the issues with the ventilation, with one remarking, “the ventilation thing is terrifying! My school was soooo strict about upkeep of any machines or ventilation issues.” Sarah asked viewers to repost in order to get the proper attention to the situation.
An update
A few days later, Sarah posted an update in which she revealed that the dean had finally sent an email addressing the incidents. Apparently there was no incident involving concrete falling, although that doesn’t exactly prove the building is safe. The dean also claimed that there would be no more drilling, whilst blaming the contractor for the unsafe environment. Whilst this saga seems far from over, at least it’s being somewhat acknowledged now; Sarah also claimed that she and others had taken the story to the local news, so hopefully there won’t be any more students put in unnecessary danger.
