A truck crashed into Indiana Wesleyan University’s Center Hall at approximately 4:17 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, damaging a studio space used by art students and temporarily closing part of the building.
IWU Campus Police Director Kyle Beal said the crash occurred on the northeast side of Center Hall. The first officer arrived within about a minute, with officers moving debris to reach the truck and check on the driver. Beal said the driver was not affiliated with IWU.
By the time Art and Design Health and Safety Officer Andrew Kondrat arrived, emergency responders and university personnel were already working at the scene.
“It was a wild start,” Kondrat said. “And then very quickly you just realized like, no, there are people who have a lot of order to this, and they really are taking charge.”
Kondrat said the truck broke through the building’s block wall and entered a studio used by approximately 14 to 16 freshmen.
“Those studios are like a home to the students,” Kondrat said. “It’s where they can set up their art practice. They kind of nest.”
Senior graphic design and studio arts major Ava Hooper was inside Center Hall when the crash occurred. She was in her Advanced Studio Practices class when the fire alarm went off.
Hooper said she did not hear the crash, but after evacuating and turning the corner of the building, she saw the truck inside Center Hall.
“I was really just focused on whether or not someone was in there,” Hooper said.
Students learned shortly afterward that no one was inside the affected studio. Hooper said one student who used the space had left shortly beforehand to print something.
With students temporarily without access to their studio space, other art students stepped in to offer support.
Upperclassmen with personal studios have offered to share them with displaced students.
“A lot of us just knew we wouldn’t need that much space, so we offered to have some of the freshmen come with us,” Hooper said.
Beal said a building inspector and the fire department inspected the area the following morning. The building reopened after being closed for a little more than 12 hours, with the damaged area remaining closed.
Campus Police has increased patrols around the area while the investigation continues.
Despite the disruption, students and faculty have worked to support those affected.
“It was really inspiring to see some of the students step in and kind of rally around and be really cognizant of like building community and maintaining community in like really extreme situations,” Kondrat said.
Beal said the crash remains an active investigation, and Campus Police is continuing to investigate what caused the vehicle to strike Center Hall.
