A BARE BULB gives dim yellow light . Scrawled on the cement walls enclosing you are the names of former lovers , jokes and drawings from decades ago . The air is warm , dry and humming from a ventilation fan off in the darkness . You shouldn ’ t be here , but here you are . Why ? What brought you down here ? And above all , is it worth it ?
For some reason , Tritons across generations have answered “ yes ” and ventured into the utility tunnels underneath campus . Be it the thrill of trespassing , the need for a challenge or just to know what ’ s below and emerge with a story , there are as many motives as there are rumors surrounding the tunnels ’ existence . Were they corridors for National Guardsmen in the tumultuous ’ 60s ? Secret passages for covert government projects ? Emergency escape routes for administration ?
The truth is far more mundane and , well , utilitarian . The intention of the tunnels was simply to pipe out utilities such as water , electricity , natural gas and telephone lines from a central plant . The system expanded along with campus to the School of Medicine , Geisel Library , Mandeville Hall and Marshall College , up until the ’ 70s when it was no longer cost-efficient to maintain a full-scale tunnel system .
Yet the stories of Triton spelunkers are far more thrilling . “ The first class at UCSD knew all about the tunnels ,” says Barbara Denz ’ 69 . “ They were easy to access because of all the construction . As long as we didn ’ t screw around with stuff down there , back then , no one really cared .”
Tunnel security increased over the years given the inherent hazards down below . John Dilliott , director of campus utilities and sustainability , has been the main guardian of the tunnels for decades and knows them better than anyone . “ The pipes contain 350-degree water , and the insulation was created in the late 1960s with asbestos . It ’ s not an issue until it ’ s disturbed , but it ’ s still a hazard ,” he says .
With protections like locks and alarms , cameras and consequences , exploring the tunnels may be a student exploit of another time . But as long as they lie beneath , the lore lives on , passed among Tritons . “ The summer before I left for college , I met an alum from the 1970s who told me how to access the tunnels through a manhole in the Hump ,” says Jeff
Palitz ’ 94 . “ It was a little unnerving when we first got there . It was dark , and we got disoriented very quickly .”
Also venturing down the manhole as students were Josh Schoenwald ’ 00 and Amber Schnaider ’ 01 , MEd ’ 02 . “ I saw a student fee line item that read ‘ lighting for tunnels ,’” says Schnaider , somewhat facetiously , “ so I figured we were justified in going to see what we were paying for .” Equipped with flashlights , a crude map and derring-do , the pair wandered for hours one night until they finally realized — they weren ’ t alone ...
Read how their adventure ended and recount your own tales from the tunnels at : tritonmag . com / tunnels
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