Students walking into Taylor Tower where flooding was discovered on Saturday.
With classes set to resume Monday, Taylor Tower residents were asked to delay moving in or find alternative housing due to flooding discovered Saturday.
Every student resident was contacted after pipes burst earlier this morning, according to Dave Isaacs, a university spokesperson.
Kiersten Morgan, a second-year in chemical engineering and third-floor resident, said she couldn’t believe this was happening to her.
“I was a little bit concerned about my stuff, for sure,” Morgan said. “I have a wooden dresser on the ground and we have a futon with wooden legs on the ground.”
She said her roommate, who lives in Columbus, is going to check their rooms’ damage this afternoon. Although she doesn’t think her room was flooded due to photos sent by her resident advisor, if the room is unlivable, Morgan said she will have to find where to keep her things and where to live for the semester.
Maintenance and housing are currently assessing each room and the 12 residence floors to identify the extent of the damage. Isaacs could not confirm how many students were affected and when the pipes first burst.
In a 9:54 a.m. email obtained by The Lantern, students were told a primary piper burst in the tower and will be updated throughout the day. It’s not clear yet how many students currently live in the tower.
Isaacs said the university will continue to communicate with the tower’s residents and provide potential alternative housing options as more information is confirmed.
In a text sent by Morgan’s RA, non-local students were told to go to Raney and Bowen House on north campus for short-term residence.
Students who moved out of Lawrence Tower in the fall of 2024 due to mold infestation, either moved to a different dorm or master-leased location off campus, or canceled their housing contract to move back home, per prior Lantern reporting.
It is not yet known what options will be given for Taylor Tower residents.
If students would like to retrieve their items, they can go to the tower’s front desk instead of their rooms, Isaacs said.
This is a developing story that will be updated as The Lantern learns more information.
The article was updated on Jan. 10 at 1:05 p.m. to add details from Kiersten Morgan.
