Freshman Jordan Finney screamed.
Water spewed from the ceiling of the Grewcock Student Union, gushed down the wall, and splashed onto booths where students had eaten just hours ago. The fire alarm’s loud warning rang through the halls as students first stared in awe at the indoor waterfall, and then gathered their things to make a hasty exit.
“When I saw the water I shrieked,” Finney said. “I was a little distraught, and it was just really surprising to see. I thought: How could this happen? It’s not everyday you see water streaming from the ceiling.”
Students evacuated the building and firefighters arrived on the scene within 10-15 minutes.
Junior Garret Holt was working security when he heard the alarm. He rushed to the scene.
“The favorite part of my life was dropping my backpack, grabbing my flashlight, and running through the snow and pushing through freshmen going the other way yelling, ‘Don’t worry, I’m working security!’” Holt said.
Holt said he was told there was a leak in Saga. When he came inside, he couldn’t believe what he saw.
“It wasn’t a leak,” he said. “It was a dang waterfall. It was tens of gallons per second. It was a torrential downpour.”
The water poured from a burst sprinkler head and into the lower level of the union near the ping-pong tables. The water became 2-3 inches deep across the entire dining area.
Firefighters turned off the valve and the main line, but water fell for about one hour and 15 minutes. Firefighters also expressed concern about electrical dangers. They urged students not to touch anything electrical.
“Water was falling into a light and you could smell the burning smell of it short-circuiting,” Holt said.
This smell combined with a strong gas smell that made students wary. Well, most students that is. While firefighters tried to secure the situation a few students decided to take a slippery adventure.
Sophomore Wes Wright, freshman Connor Gleason, and freshman Colin Wilson saw the flood as an opportunity. They hustled back to Simpson Hall, threw on bathing suits, grabbed towels, and sprinted back to the union.
Climbing over the cubbies, they landed on the other side and participated in nothing less than a bit of frolicking.
They were discovered when they accidently knocked over a table.
“The firefighters started to shout, ‘Hey, we’ve got electricity in here!’” Wright said.
They ran, one was caught, and then the other two turned themselves in.
Dean of Men Aaron Petersen had the trio work in Saga, Inc. on Wednesday as punishment.
The student body quickly spread word of the flooding through Facebook.
Sophomore Caroline Green posted “…there are currently gallons of water pouring into Saga from the ceiling and the fire alarm is going off. #timeforbed”
Freshman Nick Anderson wrote “…all that is left for the administration to do is turn off the heat in the Student Union overnight and watch it all freeze… Looks like the Student-Faculty Hockey Game is back on after all!”
Senior David Beatrice shared: “If Dr. Arnn were a progressive, he would be quick to exploit last night’s incidence (flood in saga) by representing it as a crisis. The crisis would then serve as a platform from which he would introduce new legislation, allegedly for the safety of the student body, but really to further the extent of his grip on the people. But he’s not, so they just cleaned it up.”
