Is Northrop Auditorium at

the University of Minnesota Safe?

Part II.

Today I sent this letter to the Office of the General Counsel at the University of Minnesota:

July 24, 2010

Office of the General Counsel
University of Minnesota

Dear Mr. Donohue:

I am contacting you at the suggestion of the Minnesota Attorney General's Office.

My concern has to do with safety issues in Northrop that I do not believe have been handled satisfactorily by Mr. Mervyn Larson, who is apparently the person at the University responsible for code violations and safety issues. He was identified by the Attorney General's office as the person to start with.

Since this approach has gone nowhere, I am continuing up the food chain as suggested.

Please read the attached materials and respond with a statement about what, if anything, the University plans to do about the situation.

I have not yet contacted OSHA but will do so if this complaint is not satisfactorily resolved. I expect a response to this message within five working days.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. It is potentially a matter of health and safety for Northrop patrons as well as U of M employees who have to work there. I suggest an independent inspection leading either to closing of Northrop or to a public report assuring that the building, as of now, has no significant safety issues that would warrant closing it.

Sincerely,

William B. Gleason

University of Minnesota faculty and alumnus

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