Lyssa Beyer

As Housing and Residence Life continues to asses the damage, students continue cleaning and begin filing damage claims with the university after the activation of a sprinkler head caused water flood in the west wing of Towers South Saturday night.

At 5:53 p.m. the Eau Claire Fire Department responded to a call to Towers South because of a sprinkler activation, said David Gee, deputy chief of Eau Claire Fire and Rescue.

The sprinkler activated after a student hung clothing on a hanger from the sprinkler head in the room. The student then used a lint brush on the clothing, activating the sprinkler, Gee said.

Gee estimated that the sprinkler expelled around 30 gallons of water a minute until the fire department turned it off. Water spread at least 60 feet down the wing and water drained down the elevator shaft and stairwells, he said.

About 25 dorm rooms were affected between the 10th and seventh floors, Peter Rejto, assistant director for budget and physical plant operations at housing and residence life, said. Most of the damage on the 10th was limited to the floors, while rooms on lower floors experienced water seepage down the exterior walls.

Because the activation was inadvertent, the university has no legal obligations to cover costs of the damage, Director of Housing and Residence Life Chuck Major said. However, the university’s main concern is helping any students affected by water damage, he said. Student’s parent’s home owner’s insurance may cover the cost of the damage, but Housing wants to provide students with coverage if they want it.

“The most important thing is that we’ll take care of them,” he said.

University policy regarding damaged property is dealt with on a case by case basis, Major said. If there is a breakdown of university property, the university will cover all damage. If the university suspects malicious activity on the part of a student, the university will then go after the student to cover costs.

Housing has worked since Monday to contact all students affected through letters and e-mails to make students aware of how they can file a claim.

Despite these efforts, some students are still unclear about what to do with their claim forms.

Junior Aaron Silvernale said he lost an $80 external hard drive and all of his text books due to water seepage on his floor, adding that he wasn’t clear how to file for reimbursements.

“I have no idea what to do with (the claim form),” he said. “They just handed it to me and told me to fill it out.”

Silvernale added he is not expecting his damage claim to be processed quickly.

“It’ll probably be like anything else the university does and take five or six months,” he said.

Sophomore Amber Soler said she was out of town when the sprinkler was activated. Although friends prevented major electronics from water damage, her closet, bed, carpet and iPod were affected, she said.

Soler said she knew about the flooding Saturday, but stayed home until Sunday because she was told a resident assistant checked her room and it was dry.

“This is extremely inconvenient (to clean), especially in the middle of the week,” she said.

Soler has since been relocated from the 9th floor to the 3rd to prevent any water damage from affecting her allergies or asthma, she said.

Towers North and South and Chancellors are the only residence halls on campus with sprinkler systems, said Major, adding that he thinks the sprinklers could potentially be causing more problems than good since their installation in 2004.

Around 2000, the state mandated that sprinkler systems be installed in all residence halls taller than six stories.

While a sprinkler was activated in the dorms a few years ago, Major said that every instance of sprinkler activation thus far has been accidental.

While administrators work to help students get the information they need, some students feel they are not getting the aid they need.

Despite being relocated for her health, Soler said she feels the university has left her to clean up the mess alone.

“I haven’t gotten much help,” she said. “I thought I’d get more.”

After filling out her damage claim form, Soler estimated the total damage around $1,000, not including the cost of laundering all of her clothes.

“If only (the university) could reimburse for time spent (cleaning).”