Rain boots might be en vogue this season, but even the most utilitarian of Princeton style mavens would most likely agree that tramping about in several inches of water and muck wasn't the motivation behind buying those colorful galoshes. Unfortunately, that was the situation many students found themselves in these past few days, as the campus was deluged with rainfall for the greater portion of the weekend. Access to Firestone required crossing an ankle-deep moat. Bike-riding became either extremely messy or downright impossible. And it wasn't just the regular University community that was affected — prospective students on the Columbus Day weekend college visit circuit were seen hopping over puddles while following their Orange Key tour guides, and the usual Sunday regiments of camera-toting tourists had to avoid the mud while trying to get that perfect photo of Blair Arch.
Normally, the advice of the intrepid-minded Editorial Board would be to suck it up and get your socks a little wet, or at least invest in some extra Gore-Tex. But in this situation, the disappointing level of drainage infrastructure on campus is to blame. Installing a few more drains in key locations on campus would make rainy days overwhelmingly easier for everyone from students trekking to the dining halls to the janitors with the task of cleaning up wet and muddy hallways in the morning. Yes, the University is building a new science library and a new residential college, but we believe they should give some thought to improving what's already there — and not just with regard to replanting the flowers in Prospect Garden. New construction means less grass and dirt to absorb rainwater, so unless some attention is turned to the state of Princeton's drainage network, this problem will continue to plague students, faculty and visitors alike.
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