SEPTEMBER 5, 2025 | NEWS | By Margaret Freeman (A&E Editor)
Around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 27, Ticknor Hall residents were evacuated from the building as “a sprinkler head in Ticknor broke and sprayed water into the main floor lounge,” according to a statement from Associate Vice President for Student Life Edwin Hamada. Images posted by anonymous users on YikYak began circulating, showing that parts of the ceiling had peeled back and crumbled onto the floor.
According to Sophia DeMarco ‘28, who was showering in the building at the time, the fire alarm went off and all residents were told to go to Taylor Theater while Residential Experience, Facilities and Campus Safety staff members were contacted.
Catalyst reporters observed that when speaking to Ticknor residents in Taylor Theater on the night of the event, Assistant Director of Residential Experiences Jonathan “Jono” Stephenson and Assistant Director of Housing Operations Kaitlyn Griffin repeatedly emphasized that there was no structural damage to the building. Stephenson told the students, “Thankfully, our buildings are old as hell, meaning that our engineering back in the day built some really strong and really secure buildings.”
Griffin said that there was no damage done to student rooms. However, the lobby and the Bon Appétit offices in the basement were damaged due to the water from the sprinklers.
Ticknor residents were temporarily assigned to unoccupied rooms in Bemis Hall while outside contractors dealt with the damage. Residents were told they would be let back into the building in small groups to gather any personal items they may need. Students were also given the option to stay with friends in other places on campus if desired. According to the statement from Hamada, “the building was offline for two nights and ready for occupancy on Friday, [Aug.] 29,” and “the main lounge will be offline until further notice.”
Many Ticknor residents, including Nora Johnson ‘28, expressed frustration about the integrity of the building, especially since this comes shortly after the Mathias Hall lobby was renovated over the summer. “I’m really pissed off that they redid the […] Mathy lobby which was absolutely fine and they didn’t fix any of the […] houses,” Johnson said.
Stephenson and Griffin declined to answer questions in person and later deferred to the statement provided by Hamada.