The school firepit north of Pile Hall has been a point of concern when discussing campus safety, but there have been no official incidents. 

Jason Mrsny, Campus Security Manager, said when a student wants to start the fire pit, they need to call campus security. There is a sign with the number on it next to the fire pit. Mrsny said the firepit is open from when quite hours end in the morning to midnight. 

It is requested that no one tries cooking on the fire because it will create a mess of the firepit which requires maintenance to clean it up. Kyle Nelson, Director of Faculty Services, said there is a locked gas valve Campus Security has the key to unlock. 

Carter Ossian, former Student Senate President, said the water and gas lines were inspected and passed. 

Nelson said Korth Construction build the fire pit. The decision to build the fire pit was made in the spring of 2023. “Construction started around June,” Nelson said. 

Mrsny said, “It wasn’t completely done until right after school got going. 

“I think it’s a great project that future WSC students will enjoy it for decades to come,” Nelson said. The materials are of high quality and should last a long time.  

“We looked at other locations on campus and this was one of the last ones,” said Nelson. Part of the reason the area outside Pile was the chosen location was because of the foot traffic going to and from the school library. 

Ossian said other locations that were open were considered, but planners decided against them. The location was chosen in part because it wasn’t a big open area that would be broken up by the fire pit. Ossian said the fire pit was created as a place without connection to an activity or sport for social gatherings.