Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: News

A large panel used for adjusting the acoustics in Doudna's Dvorak Hall fell and struck two students Wednesday night during an Eastern Symphony Orchestra practice. The students were injured, but are recovering. (File photo)

The two students injured by a heavy panel inside Dvorak Concert Hall in the Doudna Fine Arts Center are recovering.

According to an e-mail obtained by The Daily Eastern News, student Pat Rheingruber sustained severe injuries to his hand and was sent to Springfield Memorial Hospital to see a hand specialist.

Rheingruber was expected to have surgery Thursday and is otherwise doing fine, the e-mail stated.

Student Trent Mason was released from Sarah Bush Lincoln Heath Center with a tooth knocked out and a couple of chipped teeth, the e-mail stated.

Parker Melvin, chair of the music department, sent the e-mail to multiple faculty members. Melvin did not respond to phone call or e-mail inquiries.

In the e-mail, Melvin stated one of the large pivoting doors of the organ speaker chamber fell and struck Mason and Rheingruber. The door was on the rear wall of the Dvorak stage.

Gary Reed, director of facilities, planning and management, said the door has a copper exterior, with a wood center.

"The panel is mounted on hinges and is designed to open," he said.

President Bill Perry said, to his knowledge, there was a failure of components or installation in regards to the door.

"Most of the time in these cases, it's either the installation of the component or a faulty component," he said. "There may be other causes, but in my experiences this is the case."

Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, said little information is known about the incident.

"An investigation of the incident is underway," Nadler said. "An assessment of the concert hall is also underway. No one is permitted to use the concert hall until further notice."

University Police Chief Adam Due said the University Police Department is not conducting an investigation.

Reed said the Illinois Capital Development Board is conducting an inspection of the concert hall.

"The inspection should confirm the cause once completed," he said.

He did not know when the inspection would be complete because CDB is overseeing it.

CDB will make a decision to re-open the concert hall following the inspection and any necessary repairs or changes to the concert hall, Reed said.

He added he is not aware of any prior incidents where people have reported pieces of Doudna striking them.

During the construction of Doudna, Reed said CDB received regular reports of construction progress from field personnel assigned to the project.

Perry said the administration did not have definitive information about the incident Thursday. He added the administration would not re-open the concert hall until the administration is convinced it is safe.
"We're going to have to be convinced by means of analysis and inspection, (and) first hand observation," Perry said.



To view yesterday's article, click here



-Administration Editor Emily Zulz contributed to this report

Stephen Di Benedetto can be reached at 581-7942 or at sdibenedetto@eiu.edu.

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