A roof air conditioning unit in Ryle Hall froze during winter break causing water to pool in the ceiling and drip out into the foyer ceiling.
Student Advisors first noticed dripping from a single area of the foyer ceiling around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 10. Ryle Hall Director Talor Mourning says no water damage has been found in any residents’ rooms.
About 30 minutes later, the water flowing from the roof to the foyer caused the smoke alarm system to sound, and the building was evacuated, Mourning says. The Ryle Hall staff realized there was no fire threat and allowed the students to re-enter the building, but closed the foyer area for a short time, she says.
Mourning says the staff had to cut a hole in the ceiling to get to the air conditioning handler and try to stop the leaking. The Ryle Hall staff is currently using a small trash can to hold water as it drips from the ceiling.
“It made more of a mess than [creating] any long-term damage,” Mourning says. “It’s one of those situations that looks worse than it is.”
Mourning says she is glad the water leak was isolated to the foyer area because it was easy to clean up and no students were impacted.
Student Advisor and junior Carlen Fidler says she became aware of the situation around 6 p.m. Jan. 10. She says by the time she got there, the staff was trying to put trash cans and purple bins under the water leaks as it spread throughout the ceiling.
Fidler says the water system is currently being repaired, and the main lounge is open for student use.
