Bemidji State President Updates Public on Storm Damage to Campus

Bemidji State University officials say 90% of their buildings on campus suffered some form of damage from last weekend’s severe storm.

BSU President Dr. John Hoffman, along with his wife and “First Spouse” Dr. Joy Hoffman, updated the public on the status of BSU during a Facebook Live appearance Thursday evening.

“I can tell you that, what we’ve heard from the city is that the peak winds, sustained winds on our campus were at about 120 miles an hour. That is equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane,” he stated. “And it shows on the campus. 90% of our buildings have sustained damage. There’s over 100 windows that we’re going to have to replace, mobile labs that are just gone, that were imploded or blown over.”

He continued, “It’s kind of hard to count, but we’re well north of 200 trees that have been downed, and a large number of those are trees that have been here for 50, 60, 80 years. Some of you have reached out and said, ‘I remember when that tree was planted after World War II or, by our class in such and such a year. And so I know the types of connections that people have to the trees and the landscaping here, and [the school’s moniker of] the University of the Pines.”

Other damage on campus included having all the windows of the skyway between Bangsberg and Deputy Hall blown out, flooding at the John Glas Fieldhouse, damage to the press box at Chet Anderson Stadium and damage to their baseball and softball fields. Hoffman says the school will approach the state for emergency aid dollars, and he’s encouraged by the outpouring of support so far.

“I can say that our [Bemidji State University Alumni &] Foundation staff has created some opportunities to give,” he said. “And in the first three days, really without much publication at all, we already have raised approximately $14,000 to the Lakeside Fund that we will be able to use toward restoration and reforestation processes in the near future.”

Hoffman also stressed resiliency moving forward. “We will be rebuilding. Again, the storm is not the end of our story. And we are committed to creating a beautiful campus space for our current students and for generations to come.”

If you’d like to donate to the BSU Lakeside Fund, you can visit the Alumni & Foundation website.