Boston University's School for Fine Arts Floods....Again

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Year's third flood ousts SFA students

Van Sack

DFP Staff

A flood of raw sewage drove a number of students from the School for the Arts

building yesterday, as basement practice rooms were flooded with soiled water.

To some, yesterday's leak, the third of the year is a sign of a larger problem

in the building.

Yesterday's flood began in the morning, as rising air pressures in a backed up

line caused the pipe to burst, coating the basement's practice area with inches

of waste.

The stench hung in the poorly ventilated area, leaving some students to practice

instruments amid the odors and others without a place to practice at all. Two

faculty members went home for the day and many rehearsals were called off, said

Associate Dean Walter Meisner.

" It's clear that a day of practice was lost, " Meisner said.

According to SFA sophomore Adam Wallstein, problems with SFA maintenance smell

all too familiar. " The sewage leak is a highlighted example of what is always

the case here -- terrible ventilation, " Wallstein said. " It's absolutely

unacceptable. "

Buildings & Grounds crews were on the scene by mid-morning to clear the area and

alleviate the smell. The Boston Office of Environmental Safety inspected the

building for health hazards.

While most students lost a day of practice because they couldn't tolerate the

smell, others sacrificed comfort to get in rehearsal time. SFA senior

Darling wouldn't let the odors deter him from playing his timpani and said

yesterday was not the first time the basement has been unfit for practice.

" I'm used to this by now, " Darling said.

Last month, a flood in a practice room cracked a handful of double basses,

according to SFA freshman Lanstein.

The building experienced another leak this year, but Meisner could not specify

the date.

" I'm not satisfied with the condition of this building, " Meisner said. " We've

been in this building a long time -- there are some quality issues. "

According to Meisner, the flood was an isolated incident caused by the

antiquated Boston drainage system and the low location of the building -- at the

dip of a hill -- that makes it more susceptible to flood. However, he said, a

lack of ventilation in the basement has been a common complaint among students

and faculty, and may account for the intensity of the smell.

Last year, the Boston Public Health Commission was called to test the basement

air for possible health hazards. And while the inspectors deemed the basement

safe, Meisner said, the area still seems stuffy at times.

According to Meisner, BU administrators have even discussed the possibility of

building a new SFA complex.

" I think it's a fair complaint, " he said. " Who wants to practice in a room with

a sewer break? "