Margaret Graham ‘29 Staff Writer
On Sept. 5, a mass email hit the inbox of Scripps students citing a temporary leak and ‘Humanities Building closure’ — three humanities classrooms were temporarily closed, and water service in the Edwards and Miller wing was shut off. According to the email, the incident occurred at about 5 p.m. when a water line in a second-floor bathroom burst, affecting not only classrooms, but also restrooms, utility closets, and art storage spaces. Immediately, the school called in facility vendors to begin restorations. Despite the incident occurring on Labor Day weekend, the facility team responded almost immediately and was able to mitigate the situation within 12 hours, therefore salvaging all the artwork in storage that faced a risk of water damage. The Edwards Humanities Building, built in 1970 as a stylistic nod to 1920s Mediterranean architecture, serves as the primary classroom building for the interdisciplinary Humanities Program. Over the years, the building has undergone significant upgrades, including a 2018 structural engineering addition to reinforce frameworks from potential damage in the 1970’s. However, no significant plumbing or architectural problems have since affected the building.
After the initial email on Sept. 5, a subsequent message was sent out on Sept. 7 concerning approximate dates for classroom reopenings and alternative classroom spaces. Two of the three affected classrooms were scheduled to reopen Monday, Sept. 14, but continuous efforts were in place to work towards a sooner reopening. Initially, faculty hoped that one classroom would reopen as soon as Sept. 8; however, an additional week of closure was required. Students walking to their classes in the Humanities building cited seeing large patches of water covering massive areas on the first floor and active construction for the weeks during repairs; however, the specifics remained rather ambiguous, even as construction sounds persisted. This incident highlighted logistical challenges that can arise when one building is the active center of campus; the leak affected not only physical spaces but also electrical infrastructure, so areas had to be dried, assessed, and repaired before line restorations could begin, especially
in the storage units that were affected. The college’s updates indicated that the restoration process occurred in stages rather than through a single reopening. This phased approach allowed facilities teams to continue addressing affected areas while other portions of the building became accessible again. For students and faculty, the closure meant more than just relocated classes and a slight adjustment, as intermittent construction noises continued to disrupt opened classrooms for the days of repair. The school worked to provide constant updates and communications to students, ensuring that significant progress was being made daily. The college did not provide a de- tailed estimate of the cost of the water damage or repairs, nor did they identify the specific cause of the second-floor water line failure. These unanswered questions leave the full scope of the incident unclear. Considering that the incident happened within the first full week of school, classroom availability and consistency play a critical role in es- tablishing a steady class routine and understanding of campus and class- room layout, especially for first-year students. But the consistent email communication helped inform students about reopening schedules, where additional restrooms could be found, and thanked students for their patience and understanding With repairs now complete, the Humanities Building has returned to normal operations. Classrooms, restrooms, and other affected spaces have reopened, allowing students and faculty to return to their usual routines. While the closure was temporary, the incident demonstrated how quickly an unexpected facilities problem can affect academic spaces and everyday campus life. What began with a broken water line in a second-floor restroom ultimately required days of repairs, safety assessments and adjustments across the building. Now, with the damage addressed and the building fully reopened, the Humanities Building has returned to being a familiar and functioning part of daily life at Scripps.
