Recent cold snaps hit campus hard this past week, specifically in the Ceddia Union Building (CUB).

CUB occupants were evacuated early Tuesday, Feb. 17, when fire alarms sounded due to a malfunction in the sprinkler system. The issue occurred near the stairwell on the third floor above the Orndorff Theater. The campus was immediately alerted that it was not a fire and maintenance staff arrived immediately to assess the situation.

“It was under control and everything was back up a little after 3:30 p.m.,” Bill Lensie, associate director for maintenance and operations, said. The problem did, however, place Orndorff out of order until the next morning.

“The break resulted in three inches of water in Orndorff and it traveled down to McFeely’s,” Lensie said.

Wet vacuums were used to clean up the water and night shift custodians cleaned the carpet by Wednesday afternoon. As a preventative measure, extra heat was added to the stairwell where the issue occurred, as cold temperatures triggered the malfunction.

Other minor issues have occurred in buildings around campus, as well. The basement of Franklin Science Center experienced a minor flood and a bathroom in Horton Hall froze due to a window blowing open during the night. Both incidents were handled quickly because of the heat management system to which all campus buildings are connected.

“It provides us with a lot of diagnostics for campus and it is how we manage energy on campus,” Lensie explained.

The device allows for an advanced look at the buildings on campus. If something were to go wrong or temperatures are not at a normal level, those with access are alerted immediately and can attack the problem before it escalates. Nothing more has been found, but preventative measures are taken to avoid more problems with the dropping temperatures.

Students and personnel are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather and check that all windows are closed tightly in the home and office. Anything out of order should be reported immediately to the Shippensburg University Police Department and the situation will be addressed.

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