By Onika Davis, Reporter
On March 11 multiple locations on-campus had flooded due to a severe thunderstorm from the previous evening.
The two areas receiving the most water-damage had been the lower parking lot of St. Joseph the Worker Hall, along with the Registrar’s office.
The storm before flooding, taken at 9:44 p.m. – Photo by Onika Davis
Students who had been on campus for spring break had been alerted of unsafe weather on the night of March 10. They had been instructed through an AQ C.A.R.E.S. notification to stay indoors and keep away from large windows until the worst of the storm had passed. At 12:30 a.m. car alarms began alerting residents of the flash-flood that spanned the entire lower parking lot outside of St. Joe’s. The rain stopped at 1 a.m. but due to the depth of the water, students could not safely reach their cars until 3 a.m. when a majority of the flood had cleared out.
The next morning Campus Safety had sent emails to students whose vehicles had been affected by the flood along with photographs of their cars. Not all students had been on campus during the event. The email also communicated that an insurance form was in the process of being made and to reach out to the Campus Safety Office if a copy would be needed for personal use. These forms had been sent to students on March 15 with a list of 15 cars that had been caught in the flood.
“The last time it really flooded like this, I was in a different role. I was overseeing Student Affairs in 2013,” said Brian Matzke, the Vice president of Enrollment Management at Aquinas College. “This has been the first flood we’ve had in there in 12-13 years.”
Lower St. Joe Lot the next morning – Photos by Onika Davis
Along with the parking lot, the basement of Hruby had also suffered damages. The Registrar’s office and a storage area were the most notable. The building’s elevator is also down for maintenance with no estimated time of repair. “The elevator will probably be the most expensive [repair], and longest term,” Matzke said.
Due to Fall 2026 registration starting in the upcoming weeks, the highest priority will be repairing the Registrar’s office. Staff there are working remotely until the office is deemed suitable for the student experience.
Other sites that had been affected by the flood include the path between Hruby Hall and Holmdene, which had been barricaded, and the nearby Schnitz Deli also experienced major damage and will be closed for at least a couple of weeks.
The Saint 