Dutton Hall and its student services returned to normal this week after a two-week-long occupation. The last two occupiers left the building at 10 a.m. Sunday (Dec. 11).
As many as 30 people had been spending the night in the building, many of them in tents, as part of the Occupy ٺƵ protests that began in mid-November and also included an encampment on the Quad.
Six custodians and five building services employees put in a total of 63 hours in Dutton Hall on Sunday, fixing broken door locks, removing graffiti, cleaning carpets and taking tape off windows, so that the building would be ready for Monday morning.
Allen Tollefson, assistant vice chancellor in charge of Facilities Management, estimated a cost of $7,000 for the work in Dutton Hall.
The grounds unit estimated a cost of $1,500 in labor and supplies to aerate and reseed the Quad, where as many as 80 tents had been set up. Most were gone as of today (Dec.16), and the geodesic dome came down late in the afternoon.
Don Dudley, director of Student Judicial Affairs, said Dutton Hall employees “absolutely did the best they could to keep providing services.” Staff arranged alternate sites for tutoring sessions and workshops, and provided some Student Accounting services by telephone, online or outside of the building.
Besides walking through Dutton Hall on an hourly basis during the two-week occupation, police responded to nine calls for service in the building.
After the building emptied out, police picked up the belongings that remained, including sleeping bags and blankets, a cushion from a couch, and a scooter. Matt Carmichael, acting police chief, said the property is being held in safekeeping at the Police Department, if owners wish to claim the items.
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