By Jazlyn Baptiste

You want to wash your hands but can’t. You want to grab something hot to eat in the University Center Dining Hall except it’s closed. In all your regular spots on campus, the water won’t turn on.

On October 5 Facilities Management sent out a campus-wide email stating that water service had been temporarily shut down due to an emergency line repair. Repairs were scheduled that day due to a cracked pipe, and the only buildings expected to be affected were Swirbul Library and Levermore Hall. However, Hagedorn Hall, the Science Building, the Performing Arts Center, the University Center, and all residence halls except Residence Halls A, B and Eddy were left with no water.

According to Director of Media Relations Taylor Damian, things went awry during the repair. She said, “While repairs of a cracked pipe were being made, the valve that had been shut to isolate the 2 buildings failed causing the repair site near Blodgett Hall to flood with water.”

Damien added, “In order to secure the broken main, additional valves needed to be closed.”

Signs in building windows alerted students to the impacts of the water repair problems.

Damian explained how the facilities team worked with the vendor to locate and fix this issue. Public Safety also planned emergency response and worked with the Nassau County Fire Marshal to keep buildings secure from fire despite the sprinkler systems being out of order. “Public Safety coordinated emergency response, implementing and managing active fire watch protocols per the Nassau County Fire Marshal across six buildings to ensure full life-safety compliance until water service was restored,” Damian said.

While repairs were underway, restrooms and running water were unavailable in the affected buildings. This left students with only the Nexus Building and the Center for Recreation and Sports for water and Post Hall, Paws Cafe and Legends for food service.

Luckily, Dining Services acted quickly as soon as they learned about the water disruption. Tracy DiCarlo, the senior director of dining services, described the actions they took. She said, “Because lunch is our busiest peak period, establishing alternative dining options was an urgent priority.”

DiCarlo added, “With no water available, we were required to temporarily close the University Center, and our team immediately pivoted.”

Repairs in progress near Blodgett Hall.

DiCarlo explained how they had to adjust their operations to accommodate students. The morning shift workers cleaned and closed the UC while the afternoon staff was sent over to Post Hall.

DiCarlo emphasized how, “our primary goal remained ensuring every student had reliable access to food.”

While maintenance was underway, many students were unaware about how long the water outage would last.

Earle Hall freshman resident Tara Luhonbo said, “I’m kinda mad. If they don’t fix it soon I have nowhere to shower. It’s annoying but you can’t really do anything about it.”

Tyler Cook, an Eddy Hall resident and a junior Studio Art major said, “It’s horrible. I really wish they [Adelphi] could do better.”

Damian understood students’ concerns and frustrations. She said, “Our team worked to notify the campus community as quickly as possible and remained focused on restoring service safely and efficiently.”

Damian added, “We sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding shown by students during this unexpected event.”

Although water service was restored by 8:00 p.m. that night, some students were left with more questions than answers wondering if and when service could be unexpectedly shut down again.