A recent Tiktok showing what appears to be a burned-down building at the University of Michigan has recently gone viral.
But, don't worry. It's not as dramatic as you think.
The Tiktok, which you can see below, was posted by @maimom.69 about a week ago with the caption, "t-minus 3 days until welcome week."
With no other description or explanation given, you, the viewer, are left to believe that some tragic event has occurred right before the start of the semester.
While that video racked up over 400,000 views, the truth of the matter is a bit boring. The building didn't randomly catch fire. Instead, this was a planned demolition of an older building on the campus.
The Fleming Administration Building was a 54-year-old building on campus and once acted as the office space for U-M Presidents. It was also considered a landmark. However, on August 11th, crews began demolishing the building in what is expected to be a month-long construction project.
As of right now, that decision is still up in the air. According to The University Record, which acts as a news source for faculty, staff, and retirees of the University of Michigan, once the demolition project is complete,
the ground will be filled in and landscaped as open space while university officials consider future uses for the site.
At least one person made a comment about the potential waste saying,
The way they didn’t even clear out the offices and wasted usable furniture – Kyra
But, that's also not entirely accurate. The press release from The University Record, which you can read here, says,
The project includes a strong focus on reusing or recycling materials in line with U-M’s sustainability goals. Office equipment, furniture and custodial supplies from Fleming were sold through Property Disposition or redistributed to other buildings, said Hank Baier, associate vice president for facilities and operations. E-waste was recycled whenever possible.
The press release goes on to say that materials such as concrete, metals, blocks, bricks, and so on would also be recycled or properly disposed of.
While it may be unsightly as the new semester starts, this was, in fact, done on purpose. You can check out the University of Michigan's website for updates or just follow them on Facebook.
And, good luck to all the students starting their first college semester this year!