Brasenose college is facing thousands of pounds of damage after a fresher caused her ceiling to collapse, destroying two high-street shops and the room below.
The first year student returned from the Brasenose Christmas bop at Frevd’s and passed out in her bath with the tap running.
The bathroom was flooded to such an extent that the ceiling collapsed into a student’s room below her and the flooding then spread to the shops below.
The girl in question declined to comment.
One student, who wished to remain anonymous, pointed out that it was lucky that no one had been hurt, as the girl who lives in the room below “wasn’t in the room at the time.”
The student explained how she heard of the chaos surrounding the flooding. “The ceiling was filled with water,” she said. “It flooded her bathroom.” She added that “there was structural damage to the room” below.
As a result of the flood, the high street shop Viyella, directly below the Brasenose accommodation, has been “closed until further notice” according to a sign in its window. Despite the fact that the Viyella company had been taken into administration, the Oxford branch was not due to cease trading yet.
A spokesperson for Viyella declined to comment on the flooding situation due to staffing shortgaes and administrative problems.
Dr. Giles Wiggs, the Dean of Brasenose college refused to comment on whether or not the student in question would be punished, stating that the college “cannot comment on individual cases.”
However, Brasenose’s “Blue Book,” which outlines the college’s disciplinary procedures, notes that the student must explain the circumstances of the event to the college authorities and that “if they are found to be responsible”, students must “meet the costs of making good to the satisfaction of the Domestic Bursar.”
Brasenose’s domestic bursar, Mel Parrott, was unable to comment on the exact cost of the flooding or confirm whether Brasenose’s insurance would cover the damage.
He said, “Brasenose college is insured against any damage. However, we are not aware of the full cost of the flooding. In terms of payment, we’re still under discussions with the owners of the shop and the insurance company.”
Brasenose’s JCR President Arvind Singhal declined to comment, saying, “those are matters which aren’t the JCR’s concern.”
Another member of the JCR committee, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed that there had been extensive damage to the building and the shops below.
