When Othmer Hall flooded earlier this month, administrators told residents that repairs would begin the week of Nov. 17, if not sooner. While parts of the building have been restored, some students are claiming that NYU has not adequately reimbursed them — leaving many dissatisfied with the university’s response.
Some students whose dorms were affected told WSN that their rooms smelled like mold and had dry paint peeling off until earlier this week. Others claimed the reimbursement process for irreparable items has been slow and led to minimal success. The flooding took place Nov. 6 from two pipe bursts, which collectively damaged nearly two dozen suites on the residence hall’s first through seventh floors.
“I didn’t expect something that dire or like drastic to happen, I never expected that from Othmer,” Tandon first-year Sebestian Balakier said. “For something like this to happen proves that there isn’t a lot of upkeep in the building and it’s not managed properly.”
Rapheal Ally, Tandon first-year whose room was hit by the second pipe burst, was initially relocated to a backup room in Othmer until Nov. 13. After he raised concerns about his dorm, which he described as “trashed” — the flood tore a hole in his bedroom wall and caused the paint to peel off — and requested a second extension. These damages were repaired onTuesday, although Ally has not returned to his dorm.
The flooding damaged several of Ally’s electronics, including charging cords and outlets, in addition to many of his stationary items, hygiene necessities and textbooks amounting to over $300. In an email to residents the day of the flood, administrators directed them to claim the damages through homeowners’ insurance, and file flood-related reimbursements through NYU Albert if their insurance is rejected before Nov. 21.
“Your homeowners insurance is not going to cover something that doesn’t happen in your home,” Ally said. “We all know it was bullcrap, and we all know they were trying to be stingy with the money. What’s the point of even sending that if you’re not gonna do anything?”
NYU spokesperson Joseph Tirella said in a statement to WSN that students who did not have homeowners or renters insurance were advised to speak with a residence hall director and assess “what changes can be made.” He said that in extenuating cases, such as students losing laptops and materials needed to complete coursework, “some exceptions can be made.”
Tandon first-year Ashiq Rahman said that he noticed air bubbles gathering under the drywall paint in his bathroom after the initial wave of cleaning. He was also concerned about the air conditioning system potentially growing mold as he felt that the university was not thorough in evaluating the health safety of dorm’s the water-damaged areas.
“I’ve noticed every time I’ve been to the main campus, it’s really lively. They take care of the buildings, the maintenance — there’s always people on staff there,” Rahman said. “Over here, you can just tell it’s just not as attentive.”
In October, a University Hall pipe bursted, filling dorms with inches of water and forcing students to evacuate. NYU offered the affected students a six-day accommodation at Greenwich Hall along with compensation for dry cleaning and damaged personal belongings that they could provide receipts for.
Tirella also told WSN that all suites affected by the Othmer floods have been scraped of loose paint and that water was vacuumed from rooms immediately following the incident. He added that NYU staff have “diligently reviewed” the building’s HVAC system and plans to enhance leak detection before summer.
Contact Kaitlun Sze Tu at [email protected].