Bailey Library was shutdown on Sunday morning due to a burst waterline on the second floor of the building.
Philip Tramdack, Director of Library Services, was called at his house on Sunday at 8 a.m. by the police. The police discovered and reported to Tramdack that there had been a serious water leak in the building.
“I went to the library within an hour and found that there was considerable damage in Career Education and Development and some damage in library areas and that the water had been turned off,” Tramdack explained. “No water in the building.”
“Because of no water in the building, I decided that the library, mainly for hygiene reasons and because the adjacent buildings are not open, like Eisenberg was not open, that it would be best if we did not open on Sunday at all,” Tramdack said.
Tramdack explained that the library was in concern of safety of the students. There were no operating bathrooms or running water in the library.
“Now what happened was one of the larger water mains that are in the walls in the second floor burst and caused the flood,” Tramdack said.
Tramdack explained that the pipes are as old as the building and are generally in bad shape.
He hopes based on this emergency that the University will advance the project of re-plumbing in the building because it is an inconvenience to students and there are major hygiene issues when the water soaks the carpets. There is also a lot of valuable equipment in the building that could have been destroyed.
“Now when I came in Monday, they were working and we agreed that it would be better if the library stayed closed until noon,” Tramdack said. “The work was completed late morning and the library did open at noon, so things are getting back to normal for the library part of the building.”
According to Tramdack, Career, Education, and Development took a serious hit and temporarily moved to the lower level of the library. He hopes they will be able to get back into their office soon.
But after a school year of various shutdowns and emergencies, campus safety is concerning students. Spotts Bridge has been closed since Nov. 2013 as it was decided dangerous by an engineer. Miller auditorium has been closed since Aug. 2012 with the hopes of a remodel, but recent budget cuts delayed the renovations. Students have expressed campus wide that there are also other issues, like poorly lit streets, residence hall defections, and violent crimes.
Marshé Barnes, Secondary Education English major said she lives in North Hall and is out late on campus due to rugby games.
“The campus is not safe because when I’m walking after dark, the sidewalks are not lit up well at all,” Barnes said.
Haley Crompton, Secondary Education English major, lives in Building E and she said she frequently notices that desk attendants do not do their jobs to the full potential.
“I normally feel safe on campus, but I feel unsafe when I notice that the DA’s in the residence halls let people in without cards, allowing anyone to come into the building,” Crompton explained.
As a Criminology major, Mandy Feldbauer expressed that the violent crime on Slippery Rock’s campus is a key contributor to an unsafe campus.
“Lately, I feel unsafe on campus because of the amount of sexual assaults this past semester,” Feldbauer said.
Tramdack explained that shutdowns and emergencies are always bound to happen, but are always taken care of in the interest of the students.
