Dean of Students Rob Flot sent out an email Jan. 30 to Occidental students, faculty and staff on behalf of the college’s Emergency Response Team warning community members of the impending rain. Some concerns entailed flooding, power outages and storm debris. In the email, Flot said that the Emergency Response Team had a plan in place.
“We feel that we’re as prepared as possible and ready for the rain, but one never knows exactly how the weather will unfold,” Flot said in the email. “We encourage all members of the College community to remain attentive to weather and road conditions and take appropriate precautions when traveling to and from campus.”
According to Head Baseball Coach Luke Wetmore, the rain has luckily not affected Occidental’s baseball season too much. Due to the field tarp, Wetmore said alternative temporary practice locations, alternative equipment and local residency of athletes, the baseball season has not had to come to a stop.
Wetmore said he is mainly concerned about safety when it comes to his athletes. While they have the equipment to work around wet conditions on the field, there is not much that can be done to prevent canceling a game when it is actively raining.
“My main concern is player safety once we’re on the field,” Wetmore said. “You know, if we’re wet and we’re cold, we can handle it, but if someone’s gonna get hurt then obviously we would stop.”
According to Wetmore, more damage is done to the field when it is played on in rainy conditions, and this can affect play and requires repairs. Wetmore said that while these repairs may not be too costly, they are certainly timely. However, he said these are typical maintenance repairs that would take place anyway.
“But [damage to the field is] generally not the biggest concern,” Wetmore said. “It’s like, ‘How is this gonna play? Is the ball gonna land and stick in the grass, or is it gonna bounce or roll like it should?’”
Further damages are seen around campus, specifically in Braun Hall. Lee Chaloemtiarana (first year) is a third-floor resident in Braun Hall and has experienced rain leaking through their ceiling.
Chaloemtiarana showed pictures of what they referred to as “the sculpture,” a temporary fix made by Occidental facilities to control the water flow coming into their room. According to Chaloemtiarana, plastic bags have been taped to funnel the rain to a bin, instead of it dripping down into the three bowls they previously had to catch the rain.
“Yesterday, the ceiling started collapsing,” Chaloemtiarana said. “There’s a bunch of ceiling panels that have fallen. There’s one above the stairs and then they taped that all off this morning and have been trying to fix it.”
Since the leakage, Chaloemtiarana said they have had their rug damaged and difficulty sleeping. They have not even attempted to do work in their room because it has caused them so much anxiety that they cannot focus, Chaloemtiarana said.
“The first night the plastic was up there it was so loud and making just the most annoying noises,” Chaloemtiarana said. “Seeing the sculpture there gives me so much anxiety that I won’t be able to focus, so I just don’t attempt.”
Director of Campus Safety Rick Tanksley said Campus Safety hopes to combat potential damages around campus by reminding the Occidental community, especially those with mobility impairments, of their transportation escort service.
“I just wanted to remind people that we are here 24/7 to assist people, you know, whatever their safety-related needs are,” Tanksley said.
While Campus Safety does have limited abilities, they are most concerned about the well-being of Occidental community members according to Tanksley.
“Since we’re out on campus 24/7, if we come across areas that appear to be flooded, [we] notify facilities. We’re the first point of contact for the students or staff to facilities,” Tanksley said.
Tanksley stressed that in times of anticipated extreme weather, his top priority is the the well-being of students.
“We’ll be there to pick you up and shelter you from the rain for a short period of time, [and] make sure that you get to your location, safe and sound without having to stress out,” Tanksley said.
Contact Marley Smith at msmith5@oxy.edu
