The janitors at Northeast Community College definitely work hard and on March 30 they had to work harder than ever. At around 1:45 in the afternoon the janitors were called and told to clean up the men’s restroom on the second floor of the Ag/Allied Health building. The janitors trekked up to the second floor, opened the door to the men’s restroom, and stared. “I haven’t seen anything like it before,” janitor April Fultz told me.

When the janitors ventured into the restroom, they found all three toilets clogged, water covering the floor, and toilet paper draped over the stalls and urinals. Understandably, the janitors were upset about the mess they had to clean up. It took them two hours and four breaks out in the fresh air but finally the restroom was back to normal.

While the janitors were cleaning, Sioux City Night Patrol officers were walking around the building asking students and teachers if they had seen anyone acting weird going into or coming out of the men’s restroom. One instructor informed the officers about a student of his who had gotten up in the middle of class and rushed out the door. “He didn’t come back until 20 minutes later,” the instructor said. When asked who the student was, the instructor told them the student’s name was John Zapáchá.

The Night Patrol officers investigated and discovered that Zapáchá lives in Burkhardt Hall. They went to his dorm and found Zapáchá in his room playing a game on his Xbox. The officers said he was very polite and cooperative and admitted to clogging the toilets. “I panicked,” Zapáchá said sheepishly about the mess. “I tried to clean up using toilet paper but it just didn’t work out like I’d hoped.”

As punishment for making the mess in the men’s restroom and leaving it for someone else to find, Zapáchá has to work as a janitor on campus for two weeks. When asked if he had anything to say about his punishment, Zapáchá replied with, “I just wish I hadn’t eaten my friend’s chili.”

April Fools!