Ryan NorrisThe Casey House, also known as House Five to Cabrini students, has been dealt some major problems. Just two weeks ago, on a Wednesday morning, the residents of House Five were in the middle of a flooded mess due to frozen pipes that burst. Not only did this happen once, but it also occurred during the winter break.
Kristin Poroski, a junior elementary/special education major awoke to water coming in through her door. Alarmed, she quickly phoned public safety. They told her that they would send somebody right away. Five minutes passed. There was still no sign of Public Safety. In a panic, she called again. “They were very short with me,” Poroski said, “They said, ‘didn’t you just call? We said we were coming,’ then they hung up.” They showed up 10 minutes later.
Poroski’s roommate, Jessica Kolinsky, a junior psychology and sociology major, came back from class to her flooded room. “Books were ruined and a little throw rug. Fortunately no electronics were ruined,” she said. Some other residents in their hall weren’t so lucky. One resident had $3,000 worth of damage. “The school is not paying for it either. They told her that her homeowner’s insurance should cover it,” Kolinsky said.
Director of Public Safety Charlie Schaffner, said that Public Safety has had a number of problems with flooding because of the cold temperatures. In regards to why it took Public Safety so long to send someone to House Five during the incident, Schaffner said, “As soon as we get a call like that we call facilities, but we can’t really do anything further.” Schaffner also tried to pull up the record of the calls made by Poroski; however, there was no record of them. “This does not mean they were never made,” he said.
Howard Holden, the director of facilities, was contacted several times, but did not get back with the Loquitur in order to comment.
This isn’t the first time House Five has had a bout with flooding. Over winter break the pipes apparently froze and burst; however, no one knew how long it was flooding. “We came back and all of our stuff was thrown on our bed. Our room smelled awful. Debris fell from our vent.” Poroski said. She continued, “My mom called several times and facilities gave them a different reason for the flooding every time. Facilities said they put an enzyme in the rug to take the mold away, but we rearranged our furniture, and they didn’t move everything, so it still smells like mold.”
Kolinsky and Poroski are confused by this recent flooding. They were assured by Officer Jim Gallagher from Public Safety that the pipes would not burst again. “Little did I know, I would soon be walking in from class to a flood,” Kolinsky said. These two roommates were also told that their rooms would be switched because of the floods.
They still haven’t received a call about the room change.
Poroski wants to send a message to facilities. She said, “Use common sense! If you shut the heat off, a pipe will burst. Have respect for people and their things. Tell us the truth and take responsibility.”
Posted to the web by Ryan Norris
