Carrington residents of Dawson House spent last week in Toroa College after a flooding incident which saw two floors of the building seeped in sewage. The University confirmed to Critic that the culprit flushed paper towels down a toilet, soiling fourteen freshers’ rooms. In other news, Toroa College residents are celebrating the fact that they’ve finally hit double-digits.
The incident in Dawson House was first noticed on the morning of the 18th of July when a resident returned late after their Thirsty Thursday shenanigans. Speaking on behalf of her mate who was first to the scene, fellow Carrington College resident Imogen told Critic that the incident was “a bit of a clusterfuck.” Imogen explained that her mate had tried to go to sleep after noticing the toilets leaking (sorry we outed you) but that “it was leaking down into her room […] they started stripping her carpet, it was absolutely mental […] she basically got no sleep”.
In a statement provided to Critic Te Ārohi by Acting Chief Operating Officer Jared Hayes, he said, “Paper towels were flushed down a toilet, causing a wastewater pipe to fail in Dawson House in the early hours of Friday, July 18.” Luckily, it looks like no damage was done to the Dawsonites’ belongings, with the University saying, “We are not aware of any damage to personal belongings at this stage.”
Residents initially told Critic that they had been told that the Dawson crew would be able to return to their rooms on Wednesday the 23rd of July. Plans have appeared to change since then though, with Hayes explaining that the 14 affected residents are currently staying at Toroa College until new carpet arrives and is laid. “We anticipate a staggered return over the next four weeks, depending on the impact on their room and/or the floor they live on.”
The University wasn’t afraid to dunk on students blocking the toilets either, saying, “This user error occurred despite notices placed in toilets about not flushing such materials.” The error in question being a barrage of sewage waste.
The flooding in Dawson is one of a series of alleged floods which have plagued Carrington College residents throughout the year. The dining hall reportedly flooded last semester, where for a few days residents got to eat their kai to the sounds of industrial driers on top of soggy carpet. The University also confirmed this, saying that the earlier incident in the dining hall kitchen was the result of a hose beneath a washtub sink becoming dislodged and is “unrelated to the Dawson House incident”.
OUSA’s Residential Rep Callum Hadlow told Critic Te Ārohi, “This sort of malfunction is happening across the halls, even in the new ones like Te Rangihīroa which had some issues earlier in the year.” The news of floods isn’t getting in the way of normal hall life, though, with tauira still taking the chance to diss other houses around Carrington – Jenkins in particular. The lower-ground floor of Jenkins is colloquially known as ‘The Dungeon’ and one ground floor resident Ana* (presumably ashamed of bad-mouthing her hall) commented, “Top floor Jenkins is a bad space, but also bottom floor […] actually pretty much only the (upper) ground floor is good.” Neighbourly love is frail in Jenkins.
In Dawson, however, residents are just keen to get back home. One Carrington College resident Jude* summed up the general feeling by saying, “It kinda sucks that they have to come up here for meals but that’s all I think about it really.” While some residents are seeing the flooding as a minor inconvenience, other students and Callum are warning that it is a sign of things to come as the University grapples with its new financial status and looks to cut corners where it can. Residents stressed, however, the unfailing good vibes at Carrington. “We do love it here though!” Bea* stressed after unveiling the sins of Jenkins.
The one solace for displaced Dawson House residents is they no longer have to slide down the icy hill to lectures from their ground-level refuge at Toroa. Hayes reassured, “The affected residents remain part of the Carrington community and are continuing to receive the same services and access to college life, including tutorials, college events, and the social and inter-college competition [...] They do, however, have to walk a couple of hundred metres from Toroa to get their meals in the Carrington dining room.” Chances are there’s been a surge of UberEats orders to Toroa in the meantime.
*Names changed.