Stephenson Scholarship Hall is set to welcome residents for the 2026-27 academic year as exterior repairs have been completed following storm damage this spring.
Storms in April caused a large section of brick siding along the attic to fall off, crushing an emergency staircase, and flooded the basement. No injuries were reported, and students moved into temporary housing for that week.
Repairs addressed areas where the building’s structure was compromised, including damaged brick and fire escape, according to Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, a KU spokesperson. No residents will need to be reassigned or offered alternate housing.
Residents in all KU scholarship halls are scheduled to move in Wednesday, Aug. 19. Hall staff have returned, and student leaders are expected to move in this weekend ahead of residents’ arrival, according to Barcomb-Peterson.
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Housing auxiliary funds covered the repairs, and no additional funding was needed, she said.
Returning Stephenson resident Chris Guion wrote in a message that students had initially worried KU might decide to close the hall permanently after the damage.
“I’m not concerned, though, and I doubt it would effect our move-in experience at this point,” Guion wrote.
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Courtney Lane (she/her), reporting correspondent, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. Originally from Arkansas, she’s a graduate of KU’s Journalism school, where she worked as a reporter, opinion section editor, and eventually editor-in-chief for The Kansan.
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