Plumbing issues in Barnard House and Harvey House this semester led to flooding, water entering student rooms, and prolonged closures that limited access to facilities for days at a time. Students expressed concern about the lack of updates and the unpredictability of the disruptions.
In Barnard House, students reported two separate bathroom shutdowns. College first-years and Barnard House residents Mia Hernandez and Hailey Long described encountering dark, chalky substances and water that overflowed from the sinks shortly before the bathrooms were closed for repair in early October. The incident left students unsure of what had happened or when the bathroom might reopen.
“In situations where a bathroom, group of rooms, or an entire building will be affected for an extended period, regular communication is provided to residents,” Director of Facilities Stewardship Matt Yunker said. “Updates typically include the nature of the issue, expected timelines, and any temporary accommodations. We aim to keep students informed throughout the repair process so they know what to expect.”
An email from Residence Life alerted residents to the bathroom closures and informed them of when repairs would begin. However, Barnard House residents said that staff never sent any follow-up messages explaining the cause or confirming that the repairs were complete, and they only realized the bathroom was usable again once they saw the signage was removed.
The second shutdown occurred in the first week of November due to a damaged pipe flooding the floor. Long said residents were left to check the doors periodically to see whether the repairs were finished, and there were no emails sent by ResLife.
“It was just uncomfortable, and it was an inconvenience because we had to go downstairs for the single-use [bathroom], and then everyone was trying to use it at similar times and it was just not [good] … A day after, the single-use restroom got clogged as well,” Hernandez said.
College first-year and Barnard House resident June Muller said the bathrooms were closed for at least four consecutive days and noted that having no usable showers in the building meant traveling to Kahn Hall to wash up. After the single-use bathroom was clogged, residents had to go to Stevenson Dining Hall or other buildings to use a restroom.
Students in Harvey House also experienced disruptions. College third-year Micaela Tahta said plumbing failures caused water to enter her room from the hallway, seep into adjacent areas of her space through the wall, and flow into the hallway for over four hours. Residents said it smelled like sewage water.
“My room didn’t smell that much, but I think it’s because we used bleach to drown out the smell,” Tahta said. “The water would still keep on coming … I kind of ignored it. It seems like a health hazard, though.”
Tahta noted that large fans were placed to run day and night for several days to dry the carpeted hallway, and the constant noise made it difficult for her to sleep.
Facilities Manager Dawn Maple said the issues in Harvey House stemmed from occupants flushing paper towels, which caused major blockages. The resulting overflow caused enough damage that parts of the flooring had to be replaced. Maple noted that College plumbers handled multiple work orders earlier in the semester for similar paper towel blockages across campus.
In Barnard House, the plumbing failure stemmed from the building’s aging infrastructure. Maple said the repair required crews to remove a section of tile wall and the concrete behind it to reach a damaged pipe, and a contractor was brought in to assist with the work. Both Barnard House and Harvey House have plumbing systems dating back to their original construction in the late 1960s, with only partial updates completed over the years.
The College has been reassessing its residential and dining infrastructure, with several dorms currently offline for renovations and major upgrades planned over the next few years. Yunker noted that plumbing is among the core building systems evaluated during planning for any large-scale renovation at Oberlin. Each project includes a review of system condition, compliance with building codes, long-term reliability, and future capacity needs. Depending on the building and scope of work, renovations may involve targeted upgrades, partial system replacements, or full modernization.
Residents expressed concern about the frequency and extent of maintenance work. Hernandez and Tahta questioned how much attention is given to building upkeep.
“I don’t know if they give that much of a focus on maintaining those buildings or how much money they spend on maintaining those buildings, but I feel like they should put more into it,” Tahta said.
According to Yunker, all operating systems on campus, including plumbing, are inspected regularly as part of Oberlin’s preventive maintenance program. Teams review equipment condition, performance, and overall system health. While these inspections help identify concerns early, unpredictable plumbing issues can still arise, particularly in older buildings or systems under heavy use. Facilities inspection reports are internal documents and are not publicly available.
Oberlin’s in-house plumbing team serves as the first responder for all plumbing-related work orders. When an issue is reported, the occupant submits a work order, and the Facilities Operations team assesses the situation. If the repair can be completed internally, the team handles it directly. For specialized work, large-scale repairs, or situations requiring additional labor, an outside contractor is engaged to ensure prompt resolution.
Yunker said multiple Facilities groups may participate depending on the complexity of the issue.
“The process is designed to quickly identify problems, determine the appropriate response, and minimize disruption for students,” he added.
