President Armstrong sent an email to the campus community Saturday afternoon addressing extensive damage to Muir Hall, Trinity Hall, Fremont Hall, areas of the yakʔitʸutʸu complex and property off campus early Saturday morning.
“I’m disappointed and disgusted as I write to you today about the behavior that some of our students and campus visitors displayed when they took part in early morning St. Patrick’s Day partying,” Armstrong wrote in the email.
University officials had to temporally close Muir Hall and evacuate 300 students to repair fire suppression and alarm systems, clean up debris from smashed ceiling tiles and destroyed floors and restore air quality throughout the building, according to the email.
Less severe damage was reported in Trinity and Fremont halls and areas of the yakʔitʸutʸu complex.
“We know that our students were a large portion of the several thousand people estimated to have taken part in a block party in the neighborhoods just off campus, causing damage to cars and some property.,” Armstrong wrote.
On campus during facilities and markets reported widespread theft early Saturday morning, according to the email.
“It is confounding and deeply disturbing that a portion of our own students so ignorantly and callously destroyed parts of our campus — including the very places they and so many other students live,” Armstrong wrote in the email.
The university acknowledges that the vast majority of students celebrated the holiday more responsibly and there were more visitors this year than during past St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, according to the email.
The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities and the Cal Poly Police Department will be investigating any reports of destruction to the campus.
If you have any information on campus damages or would like to share how the residence hall closings are affecting you, please contact Mustang News through our email at editorial@mustangmediagroup.com or DM us on Instagram @cpmustangnews.
This is an ongoing story. Mustang News will post updates as more information becomes available.