With winter fast approaching, puffy parkas and fuzzy mittens are becoming staples for U students. Right now, if you have a class in Milton Bennion Hall (MBH), Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts & Education Complex (SAEC) or the Language & Communications building (LNCO), you won’t have to worry about taking those items off.
MBH, SAEC and LNCO are all currently without heat.
Facilities management recently discovered a leak in the pipe system. Shireen Ghorbani, spokesperson for facilities management, said several buildings on campus are heated through a high-temperature water system. Due to the dangerous nature of extremely hot water pumping through the pipes, the water had to be shut off and the pipe system cooled before repairs could be done.
The Student Life Center (SLC) and HPER have also been affected, but not to the same degree. These buildings have back-up boilers that provide hot water for pools and showers, Ghorbani said.
Ghorbani said facilities management became aware of the leak at the end of October. While it was not a critical situation, Ghorbani said it needed to be dealt with in a timely manner.
Repairs have been ongoing since Nov. 5, when the back-up system was obtained for SLC and HPER. However, other impacted areas will most likely not have heat until Nov. 16.
The Office of the Registrar reports an average of 800 students enrolled in classes at LNCO each day. Enrollment is approximately 900 in MBH and 250 in SAEC.
Signs advising students to wear warm clothing are in each affected building.
Jana Richardson, a senior in history and international studies, regularly works in the MBH computer lab.
Richardson said, “I’m sitting here shivering all day.”
She keeps a space heater at her desk and hopes the heat will return as soon as possible.
@NikiVenugopal