The Advance

Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Kat Benton

A Pfeiffer Hall resident was hit on the back of the head by a ceiling tile as she slept in her room on the third floor.

"I thought it was a dream," said junior Emily Luckeroth, "but then I woke up in my bed soaking wet in a pool of water with white plaster stuck in my hair."

It was approximately 2:15 a.m. when the ceiling tile, saturated with dirty water, deteriorated under the weight and came crashing down.

Soaked ceiling tile crashes down on sleeping student Luckeroth experienced a throbbing headache as a result of the incident.
Resident assistant Kirsten Tobey and Dean of Student Life Heather Smith were contacted immediately.

"It is unfortunate that the tile that fell
was directly above her bed; it could have easily been any other tile," said Smith, who took the bedding that night and washed it.

There have been complaints in the past regarding roofs in Pfeiffer Hall mainly due to leaky ceilings and dark, wet spots in the tiles.

"We have been aware of the leaks since last fall, so we hired a roofing contractor to use and periodically reapply sealants to coat the roofs and prevent leaks," said KWU Physical Plant Director Darrell Victory.

The flat roofs of the building give few escape routes for water during heavy rain. The roofing contractors waited for a day above 60 degrees to power wash the roofs. This way, a coating sealant could be applied after drying to prevent further damage.

President Phillip Kerstetter contacted the student's family. School investigations of the incident are under way.

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