By Julia Bubp, Staff Writer
Nine students were injured after a rope snapped during a game of tug-of-war at first-year Rec Night on Monday, Aug. 24. Four students were taken by ambulance to the hospital, while five others experienced varying degrees of rope burn.
Rec Night, planned by Wheaton’s Orientation Committee (OC) as one of the final events of first-year orientation, brings incoming students in Smith-Traber and Fischer Halls together with their floormates, Resident Assistants (RAs) and Community Life Coordinators (CLCs) to compete against other floors.
Steve Ivester, dean for student engagement, confirmed via email that nine total students were injured. The accident occurred when a rope snapped during the final game of tug-of-war at Wheaton’s McCully Stadium.
“We’re still not sure how the rope snapped,” Ivester wrote. “It’s one we’ve used often over the years.”
Junior psychology major Elisha Wall, RA of Fischer Four East, was leading his floor team during tug-of-war when the accident occurred. He said that the rope, which had previously broken and been retied, snapped a second time.
“Everyone’s like, ‘let’s give one last pull,’ and we stop moving forward but they keep moving backward,” Wall said. “It sounded like a gun went off.”
Annelise McNay, a freshman history major who participated in Rec Night, said that Ivester addressed the freshmen at their class meeting on Aug. 25 to acknowledge the accident. She said Ivester assured students that their injured peers were receiving medical treatment and cautioned them against spreading rumors.
Chloe Dew, a senior English major, attended Rec Night as a Passage orientation leader. She explained that confusion on the field made it difficult to process what happened in the moment, but that members of OC and other upperclassmen quickly called an ambulance and ended Rec Night.
“Great job OC for helping out,” Dew said, supporting the decision to end Rec Night after the injuries. “At that point in the night, we should’ve ended, and they didn’t try to overdo it.”
In an email to the Wheaton Record, Justin Heth, dean of residence life, called the situation a “freak accident.” Heth was not on the scene when the accident occurred, but praised residence life senior staff for getting students necessary medical attention.
Wall was responsible for supporting his residents after Rec Night to process their experiences. He addressed the incident during the following floor meeting and was met with a positive response.
“There will be lasting effects, both physical and mental, with the stress and trauma,” said Wall, “but I’m definitely encouraged as it could have been a lot worse.”
