Leaky pipes clogged with roofing tar caused ceiling tiles in the Holmes Student Center to drop to the floor.

Ceiling tiles in the Capitol Room and the Pow Wow fell as a result of the leaky pipes, officials said.

NIU Physical Plant Project Manager Conrad Miller said run-off rom rain and melting snow carried enough roofing tar to clog the drainage pipes causing the back-up.

NIU plumbing foreman Gary Montgomery said plumbers had to cut the pipes in order to remove the tar blocking the passages. The tar came from the roof of the student center, but “in no way is it related to the renovations to the student center,” Montgomery said.

“All plumbing eventually has some leakage problems,” he said.

olmes Student Center Director Judd Baker said, “Drainage pipes can only handle so much flow.”

“If there’s a driving rain, water will back up because the pipes can only handle so much,” he said.

Baker also stressed the renovations to the student center were not the cause of the drainage problems.

“If anything, the renovations eliminated some of our more traditional leaks,” Baker said. He said leaks in the foyer near the Carl Sandburg Auditorium, over the automatic teller machines and near the Pow Wow service counter have all stopped as a result of the student center renovations.

The repairs cost about $700 and were completed soon after the problem was reported. In the Capitol Room about 12 large tiles fell or were removed to gain access to the clogged pipes. Those ceiling tiles have since been replaced.