Another one in the water: Law professor latest to fall into South Campus canal

A canal cuts through the promenade in front of the Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen’s (UCPH) South Campus. A beautiful sight by day. But when darkness falls, it is a hazard.

At least two people have fallen into the water recently, and the latest to take an unintended icy dip was Professor Frederik Waage. He took the plunge after nightfall on Wednesday, 29 January:

»I didn’t see the canal. Instead, I perceived the water as a continuation of the lawn in front, which stretches all the way up to the water. Rather than walking around it, I decided to cut across to reach the metro station as quickly as possible. That’s why it was such a huge shock when I suddenly found myself in the water,« says Frederik Waage, a professor at the Department of Law at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense.

For a brief second, I was completely disoriented and had no idea what had just happened.

Frederik Waage, law professor and involuntary diver

 

His unintentional immersion came after a meeting at the Faculty of Law. He was scheduled to fly to the United States the following morning. Taking an ice-cold swim was not part of his planned itinerary.

To him, it felt like accidentally stepping into a very deep swimming pool, he explains:

»I fell forward, hit the bottom, and was completely submerged, head and all. For a brief second, I was completely disoriented and had no idea what had just happened. Of course, I quickly got back on my feet, grabbed the edge, and hoisted myself back onto the promenade,« says Frederik Waage.

Two passers-by fortunately came, helping him gather his belongings — though they were unable to find his glasses, which had fallen off in the water and are presumably still at the bottom of the canal. The professor then headed to his hotel, took a warm shower, and changed into dry clothes.

Why is it so easy to fall in?

Just minutes before his unexpected swim, Frederik Waage had been in a meeting with PhD student Nathalie Roloff Monjoin, who later heard about the incident:

»He told me what had happened. It was as if we were laughing and crying at the same time over the situation — how is it even possible to fall into the water that easily? It was quite frightening for him. But fortunately he was okay given the circumstances.«

Nathalie Roloff Monjoin discussed the incident with several colleagues and contacted the Campus Service Søndre City unit to raise awareness about safety.

She also reached out to a health and safety representative at the Faculty of Law to arrange a meeting to discuss the situation. The meeting has not yet taken place, but according to University Post’s information, addressing the lack of barriers may prove difficult.

UCPH can’t just put up a fence

The official UCPH response is that installing fencing around the approximately one-metre-deep canal is not quite straightforward:

»Regarding the question of whether safety measures are lacking in light of the recent incidents, I must refer you to the Danish Building and Property Agency, which owns the entire area surrounding South Campus,« reads an email to the University Post from Morten Eriksen, who will be promoted to area manager for South Campus on 1 March.

UCPH can’t install fencing, nor can it take action on the canals and the concrete walls surrounding them, as these belong to the Ørestad – Property Owners’ Associations and Water Guild, which is responsible for the maintenance of canal edges, basins, and water features on South Campus.

»The water guild has no plans to install fencing along the canals in Ørestad, as it is generally safe to walk around them and the nearby lakes. People need to be aware of their surroundings, and if they are looking at their phone while walking, accidents can easily happen. However, there is a ladder on each side of the canal that can be used if someone is unfortunate enough to fall in,« says Pia Vannacci Elnif, head of the secretariat at Ørestad – Property Owners’ Associations and Water Guild.

She adds that they have not received any reports of accidents in the canal in front of the Faculty of Law and that they only register reported incidents. She therefore encourages people to report any accidents they witness.

German guest researcher had to be helped out

Frederik Waage is not the only one who has fallen into the canal recently.

Postdoc Silvia Steininger from the German research institution Hertie School took an icy plunge at the same location on 15 November 2024. She was familiar with the area, having worked as a guest researcher at UCPH a few years ago, yet she ended up in the canal in complete darkness anyway.

»I was looking at my phone to navigate my way from South Campus to my accommodation when I suddenly stepped into the canal. I was completely submerged in the freezing water, head and all. I hit my knees but managed to get out because a man in a car in the parking lot saw what happened and helped me up,« says Silvia Steininger.

She was shocked by the incident, but the kind man from the car helped her and drove her home.

Silvia Steininger has heard of at least one other person who fell into the canal during the period she was a guest researcher at UCPH.

Staff want to take responsibility

The driver who helped Silvia Steininger happens to be a personal assistant to former politician Kristian Hegaard, who uses a wheelchair and is now a PhD student at the Faculty of Law, where he later heard about the incident.

In the days following Frederik Waage’s accident, Kristian Hegaard spoke with his colleagues. One of them was Nathalie Roloff Monjoin, and they agreed that something needed to be done.

»We need to bring this to someone’s attention at UCPH now. If something similar happens again in the future, and the person gets more seriously injured than Frederik Waage, we would feel terrible for not having taken action,« says Kristian Hegaard.