USF to reopen Tampa dorms, except Juniper-Poplar Hall, Sunday
USF will welcome back its Tampa residents Sunday morning after closing residence halls for five days due to Hurricane Milton.
Related: USF closes all campuses until Saturday due to Hurricane Milton – The Oracle
Juniper-Poplar Hall, however, will remain closed, USF announced in a university wide email sent Saturday afternoon. The university told students who live in Juniper-Poplar Hall to stay in a “safe location off campus” and that an update on the reopening of the building will be provided Sunday.
In a Facebook post, the university said Juniper-Poplar Hall does not have air conditioning due to an electrical issue.
St. Pete residence halls do not have a reopening date due to the boil water notice. The email did not provide an update on the Sarasota-Manatee dorm.
All campuses remain closed through at least Monday. An update on the campus reopening will be made Sunday, according to the university.
Related: Hurricane Milton forces closure of USF residence halls – The Oracle
USF said teams are working “quickly” to clean up campus, but acknowledged “overall difficulties” in doing so.
The Tampa residence halls will reopen at 10 a.m. Sunday, according to the university.
In the meantime, the first floor of the Marshall Student Center (MSC) is open to students and employees with a USF ID who are looking for air conditioning and electricity until 8 p.m. Saturday and from noon until 6 p.m. Sunday. However, there are no dining spots open at the MSC.
The Hub, the dining hall located in the Village, is open until 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. It will open again at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Classes will be held asynchronously for Tampa, St. Pete and Sarasota-Manatee campuses Monday, according to the email.
Related: USF extends campus closures until at least Monday – The Oracle
After Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key Wednesday night, the university experienced some damage and flooding. Photos of campus after the storm show fallen tree branches, some flooding and a broken Bull Runner stop.
Fowler Avenue also experienced flooding.
USF closed Tampa residence halls on Tuesday, sending residents who did not evacuate to a nearby hurricane shelter. While most of the students who went to Jennings Middle School returned to their dorms Thursday, Juniper-Poplar Hall residents were forced to stay in The Recreation and Wellness Center.
Related: Hurricane Milton forced USF students to evacuate campus: ‘Like a community’ – The Oracle
The TECO outage map showed around 1,000 customers affected around the USF Tampa university area when the email was sent Saturday afternoon.
The university directed students to the FAQ page for mental health and hurricane relief resources.
Students received a phone call shortly after the email was sent directing them to the call center if they were facing “significant challenges due to recent hurricanes.” The USF Call Center will be open from 1-6 p.m. Sunday.
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