Eickhoff Hall residents were evacuated Sunday night at approximately 10:15 p.m. when smoke detectors went off in the building.
Students said that after they were allowed to return to the building, the alarms continued to sound until approximately 1 a.m.
According to Campus Police, the smoke alarms were set off by a problem with a steam valve.
The nighttime maintenance worker was unable to fix the problem and an electrician had to be called.
This was the reason the alarm continued to sound after residents reoccupied the building.
Melissa Spagnolo, junior management major, said the noise was an inconvenience.
"My roommate had to teach early this morning, and she didn't want to sleep somewhere else," Spagnolo said.
She added that many Eickhoff residents took their belongings and went to sleep in friends' residence halls to avoid the alarm.
Others, she said, slept in the lounges where the sound was muffled.
"It was unbearable," she said. "The noise drives you crazy."
Patrick Dresh, junior journalism major, said the alarm was "really a pain in the ass." According to Dresh, he was studying before the alarm went off.
"I had a semi-late class in the morning, so it wouldn't have been too much of a problem, but I also had a midterm the next day and I had to study because I didn't get anything done over Spring Break," Dresh said.
According to Dresh, the alarm sounded continuously until approximitely 12:15 a.m., and then continued to go off randomly until about 1 a.m.
"It just kept turning on and off," he said.
"After it finally stopped, it was late and I couldn't focus anymore. I had such a headache that I couldn't do anything," he said.
Peter Karsh, junior accounting major, was also annoyed by the alarm.
"It wouldn't normally be a big deal for me, but I had a lot to do the next day and I wanted to get an early rest," he said.
"With that alarm blasting I couldn't get any sleep," he added.
