Pipes burst amidst freezing temperatures

KYLE SCHECK
PHOTOGRAPHER

LEXIE THAYER
LAYOUT EDITOR

2/9/2026

Recently, pipes around Alma’s campus have been bursting, leaving problems in their wake. 

Bruske Hall, one of the freshmen dorm halls, had a pipe burst, temporarily setting off the fire alarms. This has since been fixed; however, the sprinkler system currently does not work in response, causing concern in some residents.

“Besides the fact that the sprinklers probably aren’t working, we all were waiting outside when it happened for around 40 minutes…Even when we were allowed back in, the lights were still flashing,” said Olivia Holt (‘29).

On the other side of campus, Carey and Bonbright additionally had a pipe burst, causing flooding in the lobby. This led to the fire alarm system that the pipe burst above no longer functioning.

According to Ryan Stoudt, the director of facilities, around 5500 gallons of water fell into the basement and onto the fire panel, causing major damage. The replacement is expected to cost $150,000, with the adjuster coming within the week.

“My thing is that it’s kind of crazy that the pipes burst and hit an electric panel; they just told us not to go near it because we would get electrocuted. I totally understand why they said that, it was just extremely blunt,” said Hailee Risner (‘29).

In response to this, Alma has now stationed a security guard to patrol outside the hallway of the dysfunctional fire alarm. Thankfully, Alma was able to source security guards from nearby schools to help. 

Nearby, the Kappa Iota house also experienced a pipe problem, causing a flood in one of their bathrooms, making it unusable and biohazardous.

“As a member of the house, it’s really hard having one of our bathrooms be inoperable. It’s an art trying to master everyone’s bathroom schedules to not overlap. I understand that the facilities teams are working hard this season, though,” said Ruby Scrock (‘28).

Alma College Residence Life sent out an email regarding these pipes bursting, advising students to keep their belongings off the floor and to make sure to insure belongings in case they get damaged.

“I actually really appreciated the transparency from Alma College Residence Life. Like, they got to the point – get your stuff off the ground, or else! It was a rain-check for sure,” said Lily Sierakowski (‘28).

Additionally, at the recent Student Congress meeting, facilities advised students to make sure nothing is covering the heater in dorm rooms, as that may be why the pipes are freezing. 

“I’ve always put my stuff by the heater, I mean the dorm rooms are kind of small not to. Now that they’ve mentioned it though, my roommates and I reorganized our room…It would be so rough to have another pipe burst” said Mayte Vazquez-Ceballos (‘28).

Facilities staff stated they are monitoring campus buildings closely as colder weather continues and encourage students to report leaks, unusual sounds in pipes, or heating problems as soon as possible. In case of an emergency, students can report to security.