Business Manager: Kiyan Rico Weiss
Email: kweiss1@umassd.edu
Earlier this month, UMass Dartmouth had its campus shaken by an abrupt interruption: The beginning of the Water Wars. What once flowed from mountain to river to tributary to ocean was now cut off at its very source, by nations seeking to control the global populace through stopping the stream of life at its very source.
Long philosophized was the beginning of such earth shaking war, and much like the building of Rome, none would ever expect such upheaval to begin in a single day, and yet…
It, first of all, would not take a day. Regardless, Wednesday, September 9th was certainly not going to be that day.
What happened on the normally quiet and well running UMass Dartmouth campus was a very short lived cancellation of classes following the bursting of “a 60 year old water main,” according to Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Dr. Kimberly Scott. She said the water main has already “been replaced.”
While work was being done for the upcoming Liberal Arts building (LARTS) renovation, increased strain was placed on the deprecated main, while the other such main was undergoing a revitalization in preparation for the opening, according to Scott.
Students were just getting out of their classes when the announcement was pushed, and a familiar robotic voice of the automated phone call droned on as those in the affected buildings made their way out.
To most, it came as a great surprise.
“I asked my friend to fill up my water bottle while he was filling up his and he handed [the water bottle back] and said that nothing was coming out,” said Phillip Dzyuba, a junior studying biochemistry. The empty containers made light the students’ packs, and in that lightened load, their fleeting feet were all the faster to flee the parched plains of the droughted buildings.
In their hasty escape, students found themselves hungry and thirsty, and in their absence of classes, immensely bored. What would have been a dreadful cancellation on any other day’s positive outlook was saved by the Corsair Fair.
Students found their stomachs sated and their thirst satiated by the Domino’s pizza and drinks provided, and in finding themselves amongst the many opportunities laid out in front of them, many took the chance to meet new people.
A downtrodden Dzyuba, who walked the long path to the fair with his empty water bottle, was asked if attending the fair was a part of his plans: “Honestly no, I wouldn’t have. I think that [the breaking of the main] actually made me want to go… and by doing that I saw Dorian and Marcus for the volleyball club.”
Dorian Jones, treasurer of the Volleyball Club, and Marcus Hayes Jr., the president are two highly lauded representatives of an incredibly active and welcoming community on campus. They could have been denied the chance to introduce themselves to a brand new wave of excited members if not given the opportunity from what seemed like a great misfortune.
Commuting students like Dzyuba often lament their struggles to make it to on-campus events like the Corsair Fair, either because they work in their hometowns, or the timings fall in conflict with their classes, but the cancellations provided a rare opportunity for connection. Connection outside of class is immensely important, but often reserved for resident students who have constant, easy access to the campus. A shake-up like the water main burst helped level the playing field in this instance, allowing for connection and community regardless of residency.
While the good fortune of the fair continued on, a lingering dread was underlying the jovial festivities. Students who attended UMassD during this year’s spring semester found their memories drawn to the last time classes were cancelled for an ongoing facilities issue. In February, a week-long cancellation of classes followed nearly 36 inches of snow dumped in one weekend. Students were worried, holed up in cold dorms waiting for news or updates from administration.
In stark contrast, the water main incident did not even approach a three day cancellation– nor a two day cancellation. In fact, UMassD Facilities had the issue cornered, repaired, and resolved hours past the initial alert notification. The campus was notified of the shutdown just before 1 p.m., and the final notification of resolution was sent just past 9:30 p.m.
The Torch reached out to facilities, but they did not comment and referred us to Capital Projects, the company overseeing the renovations. We were unable to reach out to them in a timely manner.
“I think it was by six or seven, maybe a little bit later, that … everything was pretty much cleared up,” said Scott. That same response time meant that only half a day’s classes had to be cancelled, and students, even those with the earliest 8 a.m. classes, had laid head to pillow knowing that classes would continue as expected the very next day.
Scott continued, saying she appreciates the work of different departments on campus.
“Facilities, student affairs, housing, residential aid education, dining services, they all work together to handle a problem, you know? I’m thankful that all those individuals in academic affairs are always such good teammates, team members who, you know, work for the benefit of our community.”
Scott also said she was “…thankful for the way that our students handle[d] it … they acted really quickly and got out of the buildings and made sure they either went home or came over to another event or another building and we were able to continue with their activities.”
What could have turned to a catastrophic failure, drying the many wells of our university, was instead flipped on its head, allowing the student body to find more connections, and was fixed before many had finished their time at the Corsair Fair. With such hasty repairing abilities and an advanced new building, students’ expectations and hopes for UMass Dartmouth are higher than ever, and the university seems more than willing to meet them at the top.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth or its student body.