On Friday, May 31, the city of Atlanta experienced multiple water main breaks that created a water crisis for downtown Atlanta, including our campus. For several days the entire downtown campus was without sufficient water service during busy summer activities with classes in session and summer programs operating. When this type of crisis occurs many GSU staff stand ready to respond.
Almost immediately, The GSU Office of Emergency Management began updating and communicating with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and Watershed Management to provide situational awareness updates to campus leadership. They were able to keep the campus community informed with campus broadcasts regarding boil water advisories and changes to the continuing emergency. In addition, The Office of Emergency Management and GSU Police procured over 1,640 bottles of water and delivered the water to Housing and the Campus Recreation Center for distribution to the campus community.
With water being shut off for the downtown campus, GSU Dining Services took several actions to ensure campus residents had access to meals and beverages. The first action was to bring in a food truck near Patton Hall and provide vouchers to meal plan holders and conference attendees. To create an engaging environment for patrons, music was brought in along with games and ping pong. The next innovative action from Dining Services was to take ice from their bins and boil the ice in their large tilt kettles for water distribution across campus for Monday operations. In the middle of the water loss crisis, ironically Dining Services also had to deal with a flood at the Chick-fil-a on Sunday. Staff responded to the flood and subsequent cleanup so Chick-fil-a could be operational on Monday. Lastly, with the water issue ongoing, Panther Catering still managed to provide an 800-person full breakfast event for Governor Kemp on Saturday at the GSU Convocation Center.
Finally, water pressure loss causes significant Building Maintenance & Operations difficulties. The water loss affected many of GSU's chiller plants, boiler plants, and other critical building equipment and parts. When the water was restored, multiple problems arose including burst pipes, plumbing fixture, cooling tower and back flow preventor issues. The Building Maintenance & Operation Staff showed excellent teamwork and communication while working long weekend hours, including overnight, to repair and restore equipment so buildings could be open and operational. Many Custodial Staff aided with the response by assisting with plumbing fixture issues, water pressure checks, and flooding cleanup. The total team effort was exceptional, and we are fortunate to have so many dedicated Maintenance & Operations staff who rise up and respond to campus emergencies.
In a campus emergency, so many staff go above and beyond so Georgia State can continue operations and provide necessary services for our community. While the list is long, I would like to recognize the individuals who assisted in the response to the water loss emergency. I apologize if someone has been inadvertently not mentioned, but please join me in thanking these individuals for their outstanding work during the recent incident:
Building Maintenance and Operations Staff
- Chris Cravey, Zone 4, Manager
- Abdul Momen, Director, Maintenance and Operations
- Austin Calhoun, Air Conditioning Mechanic II, Zone 4
- Alan Stoll, Zone 2, Assistant Zone Manager
- Thomas Linville, Plumber II, Zone 1
- Kolawole Toriola, Mechanical Equipment Inspector, Zone 4
- Gerald Champagne, Mechanical Equipment Inspector, Zone 4
- James Berryhill, Custodial Staff
- Pataski Flowers, Custodial Staff
- Brad Nolan, Custodial Staff
- Titus Rousseau, Custodial Staff
- Corey Brown, Custodial Foreperson
- Paul Brown, Custodial Staff
- Kenneth Brown, Custodial Staff
- Kimberly Drone, Custodial Staff
- Raymond Nyamasekpor, Custodial Foreperson
- Alfonso Daniels, Custodial Staff
- Joi Thornton, Custodial Staff
- Pauline Hinds, Custodial Staff
Emergency Management and GSU Police
- Fred Hammett, Director of Emergency Management
- Cassandra Bailey, Police Communications Systems Manager
- Sharon Ware, Emergency Operations Manager
- Assistant Chief of Police Nicolay Hammond
- Major Ashley Hurst
- Officer Chelsie Keys
- Officer Keonna Patterson
- Officer Johan Romain
- Officer Bernardo Villarreal
- Officer Christian Jones
- Sgt. Jeremiah Blaxstone
Dining Services and Panter Catering Staff
- Lenore Musick, Assistant Vice President, Finance and Administration
- Daniel Stevenson, Business Manager, Dining Services
- Elizabeth Hazard, Piedmont Central, Dining Hall Manager
- Hasha Walters, Dining Hall Supervisor
- Takia Walton, Dining Hall Supervisor
- Tynarlo Walton, Sous Chef, Piedmont Central
- Zay Thornton, Sous Chef, Piedmont Central
- Tawonda Smith, Retail Manager, Chick-fil-a Operations
- Jerome Samuel, Retail Supervisor, Chick-fil-a Operations
- Constance Thagana, Assistant Director, Campus Catering
- Robin Ward, Chef, Campus Catering
- Tyrea Wherry, Coordinator, Campus Catering
- Kerron Louis, Coordinator, Campus Catering
- Tony Davis, Cook II, Campus Catering
- Lauren Roberts, Administrative Specialist, Campus Catering
- Swannetta Parker Coordinator, Campus Catering
- Lanesha Hearns, Cook II, Campus Catering
The teamwork, dedication, and resilience of our staff during the latest campus emergency was remarkable. We should all take pride in working with colleagues who put service above self and get the job done. Go Panthers!
