Kent State is reimbursing students for property damaged in the fire in Allyn Hall last week, said Dave Young, associate treasurer and risk manager for Treasury, Tax and Risk Management Services.

Normally, the university does not cover student loss of property, as outlined in the residence hall contract. While the university is not required to take care of damage to student property, Kent State can choose to cover such losses in unusual circumstances, Young said.

Students were told Sept. 6 to make a list of any items partially or totally destroyed by fire, smoke or water damage and to meet with Young to go over their lists. Within a few days, the university will give students a check to replace those lost items, rather than waiting for the result of an insurance claim.

The university has approved money for the replacement of damaged items, such as computers, carpets and stereo systems.

“I’ve even had a list of personal DVDs, pillows, teddy bears, sheets,” Young said.

The university wants to get the students back to where they were before the fire, Young said. Some items, such as mildly damaged clothes, are not being replaced. Students are being asked to dry clean these items, a service the university is paying for.

Kent State also is allowing students to exchange damaged books to the University Bookstore, Young said.

Administration Vice President David Creamer said the university wanted to make sure student life was disrupted as little as possible, even though the university’s insurance may not cover all of the expenses.

The university does not normally cover student loss of property because it is self-insured for any damages less than $100,000, Young said.

In other words, Kent State has to pay for all possible damages less than $100,000 out of its own funds.

However, damages that are more than $100,000 are covered by Kent State’s insurance plan, Young said. The university plans to file damages to Allyn Hall and student property as one insurance claim.

Because the damages will exceed the minimum amount and will be covered by the insurance, the university can afford to pick up the students’ losses, Young said.

The initial rough estimate of damages was $750,000, Creamer said. This amount will most likely change after more is known about the fire, but the cost will be substantial, he said.

Contact administration reporter Rachel Abbey at [email protected].