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After a restless night, Syracuse University sophomores Conor Sims and Ben Voelke did not attend their Tuesday classes.

Instead, they said they spent the day purchasing thousands of dollars’ worth of personal belongings they lost due to a sprinkler malfunction in their Orange Hall dorm room last Monday.

The sprinkler went off in Sims and Voelke’s room on the third floor and flooded several other student dorms. While the cause of the malfunction remains unclear, the sprinkler was likely set off due to “frozen piping conditions,” Fire and Life Safety Inspector Supervisor Matt Speach wrote in a statement last Monday.

The incident occurred after a winter storm hit Syracuse last Sunday, bringing nearly 8 inches of snow to the area and temperatures as low as 7 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

In an email obtained by The Daily Orange, Assistant Director of the North Neighborhood Taylor Gale told Orange Hall residents that the university is not liable for students’ damaged property, pointing to SU’s Housing Terms and Conditions. This means the university will not reimburse student property damaged during the malfunction.

The policy, signed by students before move-in, states that the university is not liable for student property damaged by water unless it is caused by the university’s negligence.

“The University shall not be liable for … any loss or damage to the personal belongings of students or guests occupying Student Housing units,” the policy states. “Unless the injury, loss, or damage is due to the negligence of the University or its employees.”

In a Thursday statement to The D.O., a university spokesperson did not specify when asked what constitutes SU’s negligence.

SU encourages students to protect their belongings through GradGuard’s renters insurance. Sims may be able to use his own insurance, while Voelke is not able to file a claim with his insurance due to flooding at his family home.

“The Housing Terms and Conditions outline the respective responsibilities of the university and residents,” the university spokesperson wrote. “Each situation is assessed individually to determine appropriate next steps.”

The spokesperson said all the rooms were ready for students to return by Friday.

“We understand this flooding incident has been disruptive and stressful for the affected students, and their well-being is our top priority,” the spokesperson wrote.

As of Sunday, Sims and Voelke said the university appears more open to covering some flood-related costs, although there’s been no definitive action.

Taite Paradise | Staff Photographer

Sims and Voelke spent the week replacing many essential belongings they lost to the flood.

The water from the sprinkler seeped into the hallway and several other rooms on the third floor. However, residents said the damage to those rooms was primarily contained to items on the floor, such as rugs and bags.

“Residential Living staff have been in regular contact with impacted students to provide support, updates, and resources, including emergency housing where needed,” the spokesperson wrote. “Our Resident Director has been on the floors multiple times daily and has also communicated with families.”

Sims and Voelke said they lost several valuable items, including computers, a TV, microwave, couches and sentimental items they received from loved ones.

Voelke said he is concerned about his health after he lost all of his medicine. He has asthma and epilepsy, and said he has only been able to purchase some of his essential medication. As of Sunday, he is still missing his necessary asthma medicine and epilepsy seizure treatment.

Taite Paradise | Staff Photographer

As of Sunday, Voelke is still working on recovering some of his medicine.

“I’ve been working a job at Destiny in a restaurant for the last semester and every penny that I’ve saved up is gone now,” Voelke said.

Both Sims and Voelke spent the night in friends’ dorms and said they received no information about their living situation until the next morning. They said the university provided them with contacts for mental health support and resources for receiving an excused absence from their classes the following day.

“It’s very apparent that they’re more worried about covering themselves than they are actually accommodating students who pay close to $100,000 a year to attend this place,” Sims said.

University staff began removing water from the hall around 7 p.m. the night of the flood. Darby Infeld, an Orange Hall resident whose room experienced residual flooding, said she moved into a room down the hall with assistance from the university.

The following morning, Infeld returned to her dorm. She said she saw a team working all day to clean the dorm where the sprinkler went off, and that she was offered drying services for any of her damaged belongings.

However, she expressed frustration at the university’s housing policy, which didn’t reimburse her for damaged items.

“My roommate Victoria and I are extremely upset at how poorly everyone handled this situation,” Infeld wrote to The D.O. Tuesday night. “I can’t even imagine how the other students involved are feeling, considering they suffered damages to almost everything they own.”

Sims and Voelke said they received an email declaring their room ready to be moved back into on Friday. However, when they examined the room, the students said they were “baffled.”

They said the room has a lingering smell from the oil in the pipes, the walls are water stained and they found mold growing on one of their shoes. Sims and Voelke said they’ve struggled to keep up with their school work during the week, as they’ve spent their days buying essential items like clothing, school supplies and medicine.

Currently, Sims and Voelke said they are deciding whether to move back into their old room or stay at their current temporary dorm, also in Orange Hall.

Published on February 1, 2026 at 11:05 pm