By: Kailee Heffler Follow @HefflerKailee

Two months have passed since a tornado ripped across Quinnipiac University’s Mount Carmel campus, causing severe destruction to trees in the Pine Grove and other areas at the school.

Crews are still working tirelessly to clean up the aftermath of the storm in preparation for students returning for the fall semester in late August.

“The university has had crews working nonstop, cleaning up all of the property that was impacted by the tornado,” Associate Vice President for Facilities Operations Keith Woodward said. “We are currently working in the less public areas now, but there is still a lot of work to be done.”

The most significant area of campus impacted was the Pine Grove, a wooded area that is used as a pathway by students from the Carl Hansen Student Center to the College of Arts and Sciences.

The area has since been destroyed, leaving behind a significantly fewer amount of the notable sky-high pine trees compared to what stood before the storm.

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“There were roughly 350-400 trees impacted on all three campuses and some damage to buildings as well as damage to some athletic facilities,” Woodward said.

The damage done to the buildings at Quinnipiac University was minor and will have no long-term effects. All repairs are expected to be finished by the start of the school year.

Many trees have been cleared from the campus since the storm, including the fallen and damaged trees in the Pine Grove area, resulting in open land that was not there before.

Even with this newly open and available land in the Pine Grove, the university has not decided on what they intend to do with the space once repairs and clean-up are completed.

“No plans have been announced for the Pine Grove,” Woodward said.

The Pine Grove gave off a distinct atmosphere to its students that made it unique when compared to other college campuses. Students will no longer feel as if they are walking through a forest to get to class, but instead, feel as if they are on an ordinary pathway.

“But once I first walked on the pathway, I noticed how the trees and forests made it a really cool walk, and I began to look forward to walking through the Pine Grove,” said sophomore Bryan Murphy. “It is sad how the storm came and ruined that part of campus.”

The destruction of the Pine Grove is felt not only by students but also faculty.

“The impact on the Pine Grove was significant,” Woodward said. “It changes the feel of that part of the Mount Carmel Campus.”