Rainstorm 'leaks' havoc on dormitories

Students returned from sunny spring break locales Monday to find Boston University severely waterlogged, as torrential rain and high winds over the past three days damaged buildings and facilities across campus.

The area in front of Sleeper Hall was roped off at midday out of concern that a damaged roof could pose a threat to those walking in front of the building.

Rain and wind caused a small piece of the roof atop Sleeper to peel back, and Buildings and Grounds made the decision to keep students away from the building, the Boston University Police Department said.

“It’s just a safety precaution, there’s no cave-in or anything like that,” said BUPD Sergeant Larry Cuzzi, adding that there was no danger to students inside the building.

“They are more concerned that the piece could blow off the building,” he said. “The safest thing they could do was keep the area clear.”

Cuzzi said that the problem had temporarily been taken care of, but no further work to secure the roof would be done until weather conditions improve.

The area is expected to remain off-limits to students until it stops raining, which may not be until Tuesday morning, Cuzzi said.

In the meantime, students living in Sleeper could access the dorm through the back door or by walking through the dining hall. Those in Rich Hall were directed to go through Case Gymnasium.

BU spokesman Colin Riley called the weather situation “unprecedented.”
“It’s similar to what Noah experienced before he built the ark,” he said. “It’s keeping Facilities very busy.”

Riley said the roof atop Sleeper had not completely blown off but was “flapping in the breeze.”

Warren Towers dining hall was also experiencing leaks in the front eating area closer to B tower and in the back section. Tarps hung from the ceiling where leak-damaged tiles had been removed, and buckets were scattered around the floor to catch drips.

The damaged areas were cordoned off with caution tape and B&’G workers attended to the leaks as students continued to eat elsewhere in the dining hall.

Riley said the dining hall is a trouble spot because of its position between towers. The lobby and hall outside the dining hall were also leaking at the windows, which were lined with towels to soak up water.

Students said the weather has permeated upper floors too.

Rachel Rasmussen, a School of Management freshman who lives on 11A in Warren, said areas of the floor are beginning to mildew and “reek.” She also said friends who live on 12A returned from break to find water damage in their rooms.

“People’s electronics and everything were underwater when they came back from break,” she said. “There was a note on the door [from before break] like, “we know there’s a leak on your window, we put in a maintenance request to fix it.'”

Nothing has been done about the leaks yet, she said, adding that some people who experienced damage are filing claims for their ruined belongings.

“I kind of feel like we pay a lot for housing and it’s kind of ridiculous to have all these tarps around,” she said of the dining hall.

Alexandra Beskrowni, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, agreed that the buildings should be better protected.

“It makes me wonder why there’s so many problems to begin with,” she said. “Warren Towers isn’t that old.”

Warren, which was completed in 1967, is not one of the newer buildings on campus. Other less recent additions are also experiencing damage. Towers had water on the first floor beside a sign that read, “Beware of the puddle!”

In 1019 Commonwealth Ave., School of Education sophomore Juliana Klein returned from break this weekend to find a leak in her bathroom on the sixth floor.

“We put out a bucket. It’s like an indoor pool,” Klein said. She said maintenance had been contacted about the problem, but it had not been fixed as of Monday morning.

On the third floor of Myles Standish Hall, Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences junior Tony Juncaj had arranged several plastic cups on his windowsill to catch discolored water that was leaking in through the closed window.

June Kowalewski and her roommates were also having water trouble in Myles. Inside their fourth-floor suite, pieces of the wet wall had flaked off onto the floor.

“My roommate had to move her bed completely,” Kowalewski said. She also said she found mold growing beneath the wall paint.

“It’s kind of annoying,” she said. “We’ve called maintenance since last night and nobody’s come up yet.”

Riley said maintenance requests would be handled in the usual fashion.

“Obviously [B&’G] are really stretched thin because this is a very unusual occurrence with the weather,” he said.

Leaks were also reported in Student Village 1. SMG junior Ashley Causey lives on the ninth floor, and said she has been having trouble with ceiling leakage all year. The damage from this storm, however, was the worst yet.

“I came back [from spring break] and found my desk chair completely soaked,” she said. “Every time it rains it leaks from one spot, now it’s gotten worse and is leaking from two.”

Causey said she had two buckets set out to collect water, and noticed new ripples and stains in the ceiling.

B&’G had tried to fix the problem during the fall semester, but it kept recurring, she said.

“They offered to move me other places but it’s really a big inconvenience to be asked to move,” she said. “I just kind of accept the problem and work around it. The maintenance people are really nice about it. A lot of them just don’t know what to do.”

“With a new building you would expect nothing like this, but it seems to be happening a lot,” she said.

Riley said the damage isn’t a result of buildings’ age, but is rather a result of sheer volume of rain “overwhelming” the architecture.

“It’s the nature of rain puddling and not draining properly,” he said.
BU is coping as best as possible, he said.

“We’re well prepared to deal with it, but there’s only so much you can do,” he said. “You go put buckets, you find out where the leaks are coming from, but this is just an unprecedented amount of rainfall in a short period of time.”