Four days after Georgia officials announced that Stegeman Coliseum would be closed after a small piece of the ceiling was discovered to have fallen, more details were revealed Monday.

In an email to UGA faculty and staff from President Jere Morehead and athletic director Josh Brooks, it was revealed that the Georgia Facilities Management Division has been closely monitoring the building since the spring of 2018, after a smaller piece of ceiling material was discovered.

At that time, a consultant was hired to inspect the ceiling and make recommendations for repairs. The repairs were completed that summer, and no findings indicated the building was in any kind of structural distress.

In 2020, a second small piece was discovered. FMD again engaged an engineering firm to survey the ceiling and make repairs. Periodic condition assessments have been conducted since that time: while several small flakes have fallen, no conditions have indicated a hazard. During this time, the university also replaced the roof at Stegeman, taking proactive steps to minimize the amount of heat being absorbed and to reduce moisture infiltration.

The FDM contracted with an engineering firm, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., to evaluate the ceiling and devise a more permanent solution. Subsequently, a second opinion was sought from a separate structural engineering firm, Walter P. Moore.

Last Wednesday, on the day the Moore firm was scheduled for an onsite evaluation, a palm-sized piece of ceiling material was found. While still small, it was the largest piece discovered to date. The facility was immediately closed out of an abundance of caution.

The email also stated, "Safety is the University’s top priority, and the facility will not reopen until necessary repairs, improvements, and inspections are completed, which could take several months."

Events scheduled for Stegeman Coliseum, including various graduation ceremonies, have been told to reschedule.