Last October, two Caltech students fell from windows in the same dormitory for weeks on end, and the university has now shared details of why.
The Tribune first contacted the university on Oct. 27 regarding reports of two students falling from a window.
At the time, spokesman Keegan Koebel said Caltech was aware of both incidents but did not disclose any other details about why the students fell.
On Nov. 10, the Tribune submitted a public records request to Caltech seeking records related to these incidents.
Those records, obtained by The Tribune on March 3, confirm that two students fell from the windows of Yosemite Hall Tower 2 that same month, while new comments from spokesman Matt Lazier indicate the windows had been tampered with.
The October incident was not the first time a student has fallen from a Cal Poly window. The Tribune previously reported on a similar incident in 2017.
In September 1968, the first 285 students moved into the $3.3 million Yosemite Hall complex (photo taken March 9, 2026).
(David Middlecamp/dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com)
Why did Caltech students fall from windows?
The first fall was reported to a resident assistant at about 8:11 p.m. on Oct. 4 in Yosemite Hall Tower 2, according to a redacted incident report obtained by The Tribune through a public records request.
According to reports, the student fell from a dormitory window and fell to the ground.
RA called the Cal Poly Police Department, who arrived at the scene, the report states. Another RA was also reported and rushed to the scene, and other residents gathered to help.
Documents show the student fell from the window, which had its screen removed to make room for the air conditioner.
The report said the room’s window security system had been “tampered with” to install the device, and Lazier later confirmed that the air conditioner was not a university unit.
Two people at the scene, whose identities were redacted in the document, reportedly explained that they wanted to climb out and sit by the window.
Reports say the student fell into a tree and part of the tree broke their fall before hitting the ground.
One of the people involved said he drank “a few beers” before the incident, the report said. Because of the redactions, it’s unclear if the person who reported drinking was the person who fell from the window.
The second incident occurred three weeks later on October 24, also in Tower 2 of Yosemite Hall.
According to the incident report, the fall was reported to RA around 2:20 a.m. The victim was found on the concrete floor outside Tower 2.
A group of residents reportedly heard news of the fall but didn’t see anything. The victim was taken to hospital.
A second update on the same incident said police confirmed the student fell from a dormitory window, adding that alcohol may have been a factor and that a roommate said they arrived home around 3:45 a.m. to find “a bunch of Coors Lights in the trash can and refrigerator.”
After receiving the records, the Tribune contacted the university for an update.
According to Lazier, Caltech discovered “unauthorized alterations” to window areas at each location where students fell.
“These changes have been corrected,” he said in an email.
University Housing conducts window inspections of campus housing, he added.
“In addition, the university has launched an education campaign to remind all residents of the risks of falling from windows, the dangers of tampering with installed mechanicals, and the procedures for requiring repairs to their residences,” Lazier said.
Lazier did not provide any details about whether students were disciplined for changing the windows, citing privacy concerns.
