Students planning to eat lunch at the Language and Dining Center (LDC) on Tuesday, Jan. 23, were informed that LDC would be closed for lunch due to a water leak. Students were encouraged to dine at Burton Dining Hall instead. Confusion occurred after students were informed of the closure via the “students-on-campus” information channel.
Over email, Mitch Miller with Facilities explained that the leak was caused by “a frozen fire‑sprinkler line located in the ceiling space above the 1951 Dining Room.” He clarified that the Class of 1951 Dining Room “has minimal heat, which is typical for this type of building. Under normal winter conditions, it stays warm enough to prevent freezing, but with the extremely low temperatures we experienced last week, the water in the pipe froze, cracked the pipe and subsequently leaked.”
Facilities were aware of the risk of a pipe bursting on campus, Miller said, and the water was shut off immediately so the pipe could be repaired the same afternoon. He also pointed to another incident the same week involving a smaller pipe freeze in a room where an exterior window had been left open.
“It’s one of the reasons we emphasize keeping exterior doors and windows fully closed during cold weather,” Miller said.
Going forward, Facilities said they are “looking into ways we can weatherproof the ceiling area where the leak occurred.” They did not provide an estimated reopening date for the Class of 1951 Dining Room, but said that replacements for the water-damaged sections of the ceiling would begin during Week 5.
Air temperatures in Northfield on January 23 reached lows of -3℉ (-19℃) with wind speeds of up to 15mph (24kph), resulting in a temperature that felt like -20℉ (-29℃). Actual temperatures of -20℉ were reached only a few days earlier in the week, with temperatures that felt like -40℉.
An additional water leak in the kitchen area of LDC near The Oasis station, as well as in the desserts/drinks area, was recorded on video and provided to The Carletonian, although Facilities did not respond in time to comment on this second water leak. The three-second video shows water leaking aggressively from multiple locations in the ceiling above a nearby food preparation area. In the background, the fire alarm can be heard.
Valentin Montenegro ’28 was at LDC each time the dining hall was closed unexpectedly.
“I was pissed off because it was the second time it happened to me, and both times happened right after I swiped my OneCard,” Montenegro said. “The first time I went to the OneCard Office, and they refunded me with no problem… the second time, I was just tired and didn’t go. The women in the Anderson Cafe were so nice that they compensated me with a meal equivalence.”
Bon Appétit was contacted for this article but did not respond to The Carletonian’s questions about how they address redirected students in these kinds of scenarios.