University of Virginia Library

Students Cause
'Mud Torrent'
In Old Dorms

By JOHN EPPS

Eight of the ten McCormick Road
dormitories were turned into "mud
torrents" Sunday, according to Student
Affairs Vice President D. Alan Williams.

"This is the worst mess I've seen in my
15 years here," Mr. Williams claimed. In
the dormitories showers were plugged
with mud, entire floors were flooded and
several dormitory entrances were sealed
with mud.

The students will be expected to clean
the dormitories, Mr. Williams said, and
they will be assessed for any needed
repairs for the buildings.

Repairs may be necessary to the
plumbing of several dormitories where
mud had stopped up the pipes, he said.

He said if the individual offending
students cannot be determined, all the
students living in the area will be
expected to pay for damage, although he
understood it to have been a "community
action."

The Housing Office and the
maintenance staff will determine
individual repair assessments.

Housing Director Ralph E. Main called
the offenders' action "deplorable" and
said he has told his staff not to clean any
of the muddy mess made this weekend.
He is going to give the students time to
clean it themselves, he said.

He said the housekeeping staff is
"absolutely flabbergasted," and that the
morale of that staff is "zero," especially
after making a special effort over spring
break to clean the dormitories for major
renovation.

Renovation has been taking place in
most of the McCormick Road
dormitories.

After working on these renovations,
he said, the staff is extremely
disappointed in students' actions this past
weekend.

Mr. Williams said students entered a
sewer being worked on and that this was
the center of the action.

The student showed a "total
disregard" to others in making a "mess"
of the dormitory area, he said.

Emmet and Humphreys Houses were
affected the worst, he said, but Kent,
Dabney, Lefevre and Metcalf Houses were
also damaged heavily.

In other action over Easters weekend,
police were forced to close Rugby Road
from Beta Bridge to the corner of Rugby
Road and Grady Avenue to all traffic
Saturday night because of the number of
people walking in the street.

Dean of Students Robert T. Canevari
said the police department called him
about 3 a.m. to tell him of the street's
closing, and the street reopened about
3:45.