BREAKING: On-campus gas leak prompts evacuation of E, F, G, and H wings

By Elizabeth Myers on May 1, 2023

Written for The Argo by Elizabeth Myers and Victoria Orlowski

On Monday, May 1, Stockton University sent an email to the student body at 4:13 p.m., stating that there is a suspected gas leak in wings E through H of the Galloway Campus’s academic spine. Those on campus are advised to “vacate and avoid” the affected area until further notice.

Displaced students from the 2016 gas leak sleep on cots in Lakeside Lodge. Photo courtesy of @eringrugan on Twitter; post retrieved from Cat Country’s website.

With students, staff, and faculty on campus for finals, many are left to wonder if exams need to be moved—no word has been released yet on the matter.

Other community-related services, which include—but are not limited to—the Tutoring Center, the Counseling Center, the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Center, Stockton’s Library, and the EOF and Veterans Affairs offices are also affected by the gas leak.

Monday’s incident isn’t the University’s first run-in with on-campus gas leaks. A similar incident occurred in 2016, in which over 200 residential students had to evacuate Housing 1-B Court and Housing 5 in Stockton’s Juniper building. According to NJ.com reporter Jeff Goldman, the source of the gas leak was a “damaged coupling,” which South Jersey Gas repaired shortly afterward.

For updates on the on-campus gas leak, visit https://www.stockton.edu/alerts/.

UPDATE:

When asked about the cause of the gas leak, Donald Hudson, the senior vice president for facilities and operations, commented, “ Gas leaks are a tough thing to predict. A gas leak can be caused by severe weather changes, settlement, damage, or just age and deterioration. Most leaks are located at a valve or a joint. In last night’s case, the leak was a valve, and the responsibility of repair by South Jersey Gas. We call that ‘before the meter.’ Anything after the meter, we are responsible for.”

In response to a question on what Stockton is doing to prevent gas leaks on campus, Hudson replied, “Gas leaks happen, and in most cases, we are able to secure and repair quickly with little disruption in the operations of a building. Last evening was different. We are all good now and full operations have been restored.”

Normal campus operations were resumed as of 6:45 p.m.