Pipe bursts in on-campus apartments

Junior Megan Geurts said it didn't happen to her, but if it did, she "would've gone insane."\nGeurts was referring to a Sunday incident at the on-campus University West Apartments, in which a water pipe burst on an upper floor.\nCalling the accident "fairly uneventful," Tim Stockton, associate director for apartment housing at Residential Programs and Services, said maintenance staff quickly repaired the burst.\n"We are not real sure of the cause, but we had a maintenance plan ready -- we sent plumbers out and cleaned it," Stockton said. "We deal with it pretty quickly when it happens."\nStockton said RPS risk managers assessed the situation as well. The amount of damage caused is unknown, he said.\nWhile Geurts was not directly affected by the water-pipe burst, she has a friend living on the ground level of the apartments whose belongings and apartment suffered water damage. \nGeurts said when she visited her friend's apartment, she saw damage when she arrived.\n"I live at the far end from where it happened," Geurts said. "I walked in (to my friend's apartment) and she showed me the bags and clothes that were ruined and her rug was horrendous. It smelled so bad."\nGeurts said water damage ruined her friend's $100 luggage bag. In addition, walls down the hallway had bubbles in them and seeped water if touched, she said. \n"At first I thought it was a main water heater, but it was just someone's pipes that exploded," Geurts said. "It didn't happen to me and I was so happy."\nResident and junior Ian Blackwood' apartment was not affected by the water pipe bursting, and he said he "didn't hear much about it." However, he reported seeing wet items belonging to affected residents in the hallways.\nGeurts said no one she knew who was affected by the pipe burst was informed afterward of the situation by RPS or the University.\nShe said her friend arrived home to find her belongings moved, but she had no idea why because there was no note left.\n"What if someone wasn't there and went home for the weekend and came back and didn't have a note and saw everything messed up?" Geurts said. "People came in to move my friend's stuff and they didn't write a note. She was flipping out because she thought someone broke in."\nEven though Geurts was unaffected by the mishap, she said an e-mail or note informing residents what happened and why their possessions were moved would have been helpful. \n"I think they did a good job of moving stuff around, but they didn't even let us know," she said. "I was glad they went in and moved stuff so no damage occurred, but they didn't leave any messages to let (those affected) know what happened"