Kalapuya Ilihi hall is home to the Native American and Indigienous Studies community. Academic and residential communities allow students with common interests and identities to live and learn together. (Molly McPherson/Emerald)

Kalapuya Ilihi, the dormitory that had previously been closed due to structural damages, is reopening this fall following a $7 million settlement between the university and the residence hall’s contractors.

The issues were discovered by the university’s lawyers in 2021 and were identified as posing seismic risk. 

Kalapuya has been closed since July of 2023 to repair cracks in many of the walls that had been discovered during “regular maintenance.” 

The hall was originally intended to reopen during the 2024-25 academic year, but the extensive repairs delayed it until this fall. Because of this delay, Hamilton Hall remained open to provide space for incoming students that year. Now that Kalapuya is reopening, Hamilton’s demolition can occur as the second-to-last phase of the Hamilton Walton Transformation Project.

In September 2023, two months after the damage was discovered, the University of Oregon filed a lawsuit against the various construction companies for negligence and to recover costs associated with the repairs that were needed.

According to the university, this will cover the “additional work” it took to repair the dormitory, as well as help with the Hamilton Walton Transformation Project.

After the $7 million was paid, the lawsuit was settled and the complaint against the contractors was dismissed by the court.