Crews from AQUA DOC Lake & Pond Management drain Mirror Lake on Nov. 22. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Managing Editor for Multimedia
It’s that time of year again. Mirror Lake has been temporarily drained as of Friday morning for students’ safety in regard to the “Mirror Lake Jump,” according to a statement released by University Police.
“The safety of our campus community is always our top priority,” the statement reads. “Out of an abundance of caution and with the university’s focus on safety at top of mind, Mirror Lake has been temporarily drained. The lake will be refilled at a later date.”
University spokesperson Dan Hedman said the time it takes to drain Mirror Lake is dependent on many factors, but in this instance, the drainage took 90 minutes.
The drainage comes as a result of a 2015 Undergraduate Student Government resolution to end Mirror Lake Jump — a tradition involving students jumping into Mirror Lake the Tuesday before the Ohio State-Michigan game. The resolution came after an Ohio State student died after jumping into the lake on Nov. 25, 2015.
Austin Singletary was found underwater just after midnight after participating in the jump, according to previous Lantern reporting. He sustained head and neck injuries after diving into the lake and later died at the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State.
According to the statement, entering the lake basin during this time will be considered criminal trespassing.
“The Ohio State University Police Division is continuing to monitor the area, and public safety officials have discretion to determine appropriate enforcement action,” the statement reads.
