Labrina VanCliff

Delaware State University, Village Apartment. Photographed by Delaware State University

On Saturday, January 12th residents of Delaware State University’s Village Apartment, Building 1 woke up in a frenzy, after receiving news that their water services had been shut off. Due to a water leak in the main sprinkler room of Building 1, Delaware State University maintenance was forced to shut off all water services, leaving residents without any use of restrooms, showers, or sink faucets for several hours.

Furious second – floor residents William Richardson, expressed his frustration with the lack of water access, as he stated that, “not being able to take a shower or brush my teeth for this extended period is very annoying and frustrating. Due to not having any water, I now have to go to a friend’s room to get dressed.” Many residents have been relying on other campus residents to freshen up or to use their water.

Relieving the frustration amongst Building One residents, new residence director, Temika Moore, released a statement later Saturday afternoon, stating that ” There was an issue this morning with a leak in Building One, forcing maintenance to turn off all water services; however, after considerable maintenance, water services are back on for resident use.”

Once water services were turned back on around 5 pm Saturday, residents were given specific instructions to follow. According to third-floor resident Cierra White, “we were instructed to turn on all water faucets inside our apartments until there was a steady water flow to release any air left in the pipes.” Residents of Building One, University Village Apartments were also told to contact the University Village leasing office for any additional questions regarding water issues.

University Village Apartment, Residence Assistants and Residence Director. Photographed by Labrina VanCliff

To listen to resident’s questions and concerns regarding issues, residence director Temika Moore and residence assistance of the University Village apartment, hosted a “Welcome Back Social” for all residents of the University Village Apartments. On Sunday, January 13th held in the Building Three lobby from 12 pm-4 pm, residents could come out and discuss their concerns with students and staff.