Sophomore Sydney Schechter said she could hear the sprinklers crackle to life like fireworks before black water started to soak the hall carpets on the fourth floor of Millis Hall. The dormitory was evacuated after the fire alarm went off, activating the sprinkler system on Sept. 23. Though the third floor resident advisor Samantha Teece originally thought the alarm was a drill, she said she was informed that the sprinkler system had been tampered with after the building was evacuated. Students were balancing on skateboards in the hall and claim to have grabbed the sprinkler when they lost their balance, Teece said. After students were allowed back in the building, they were not able to go back up to their rooms until 4 a.m., first year Aly Honore said. Students were encouraged to make alternative sleeping arrangements because they were not able to go back to their rooms to sleep until early the next morning, but many people didn’t have their phone on them and couldn’t contact their friends, Honore said. “People were panicking because they didn’t have phones,” Teece said. “They didn’t know if their rooms were the ones that were damaged.” The flooding did not cause major property damage, but students are still complaining about the inconveniences associated with the incident, first year David Wozny said. Wozny said he was told that he could not sleep in his room because of water damage. “There was a total of 10 rooms that students couldn’t stay in because there was water damage,” Teece said. Wozny said that when he was allowed back in he was asked not to leave the windows or door open in order to completely dry out the room. He decided to stay with friends in a different part of Millis because it was so uncomfortable to stay in his room. Schechter said she was upset with the lack of information being communicated to the students. “No one knew what was going on that night,” she said. “There should have been formal announcements because people were displaced for a couple of hours.” Schechter said that her clothes were on the floor when the sprinkler went off and were completely soaked by water seeping into her room. She said that she now has a dehumidifier and a fan in her room to help dry it out and decrease the chances of growing mold. She is not sure how long the fan and the dehumidifier will remain in her room or in the hall outside because she can’t find anyone who knows the answer. “My RA has been doing a good job telling me stuff but he doesn’t know stuff — I know someone knows something,” Schechter said. She is not the only one frustrated by lack of communication. Wozny said he has had trouble getting answers as well. “They keep saying they don’t know,” he said. The assistant resident director did not comment.