Three Eastern Connecticut State University roommates were exploring their new dorm room last month when they made an unexpected discovery. Underneath the sink in their High Rise apartment, behind a sealed panel, they found a time capsule from 2001.

Sophomore Nicholas Presbie was the first who thought to open the panel. “It’s just going to be plumbing pipes,” dismissed roommate Luke Davis, also a sophomore. The mysterious panel intrigued them for weeks, but it was sophomore Zachary Skarzynski who got a screwdriver and decided to put their curiosity to rest. “‘What the heck, let’s just do it,’” he said. “It only took two seconds.”

Awaiting them behind the panel was a shoebox full of mementos and notes from four girls who shared the same room 14 years ago.

The roommates held on to the capsule for two weeks before letting the word out. “We were cautious about telling people at first,” said Davis. “We didn’t want anyone to confiscate it. It belongs in the room. It hasn’t been touched since 2001.”

The capsule’s contents include a chore chart specifying which roommate was to vacuum, take out the garbage or clean the bathroom; 10-year predictions, ranging from being married with kids to being a music star; notes about themselves and their hobbies and favorite TV shows, such as Friends and X-Files; and random items like microwavable popcorn, perfume, a cassette tape and a piece of chewed gum stuck to the box.

The dorm room’s current residents feel passionate about continuing the legacy. “The box has to go back,” said Skarzynski. “That’s where it belongs.” They feel inspired to leave a time capsule of their own. Among other items, they would definitely like to include photographs of the campus and themselves. “That way if people try to search for us on social media they can see how we’ve changed,” said Davis, mentioning how they have tried contacting the installers of the capsule, but to no avail.

“I’m surprised that in 14 years no one had thought to open that panel,” said Davis. What intrigues the roommates most is the whereabouts of the four students from 2001. “I would love to talk to them and see what goofy stuff they have to share,” said Skarzynski.
“I just want to know if any of their predictions came true,” said Davis.