The Student Senate passed a resolution Wednesday that asks the university to fix the flooding problem on the Cow Path.
The problem area, located north of Petty Road between the Robert Bell Building and LaFollette Complex, is a nuisance to students who use the Cow Path to walk to class, Tristan White, chairman of the Academic Affairs committee and the resolution's author, said.
The street level is higher than the Cow Path so water collects on the path because it has no where else to go, White said. The flooding gets to the point that students either have to walk through it or in the mud surrounding the area.
Freshman Heather Seybold encounters the flood area during her walks to class and must decide whether she wants to get her feet and pants wet or muddy.
"You can't jump over it. You can't go around it," Seybold said. "It gets really deep."
The water freezes in the winter, making it a dangerous area for students to walk through, Steve Geraci, president pro-tempore of Student Government Association, said.
While he has not heard of any students falling on the patch of ice and getting hurt, White said he is sure it has happened.
When the path is flooded, students have to wait in the road to cross the area because there is only enough room for one student to cross at a time, Geraci said.
Although there are plans to fix the area during construction for the first stage of the Mckinley Project this summer, White said the problem is an issue for students now and there needs to be a short-term solution before the long-term answer begins.
"It had been a problem for [students] for a couple of years now, and no one had done anything before," White said.
Jim Lowe, director of facilities assessment and management, said he was unaware of the flooding problem and will look at the area to fix it as soon as possible. While he doesn't know what could be done to fix the problem before he evaluates the situation, possible solutions include putting asphalt on the path or cutting out the section and paving it, Lowe said.
Freshman Corey Welcher has also noticed the recent installation of fence posts in the Cow Path, suggesting to her that a fence will cut across the much-used path across campus.
The university has fenced off certain areas of campus, including part of the R2 parking lot southwest of LaFollette Complex, so construction on the Communication Building can begin. Lowe previously said the Cow Path would not be cut off by fencing during the construction of the building, which will connect Robert Bell to the Ball Communication Building. He does not know what the fence posts are for but he said the path will not be obstructed. The crew could be blocking off a section of the path but then divert the path so students could still walk it, Lowe said.
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