"Fix our damn heat"
The girls of Rawls dorm speak out about the recent frigidity
By: Sarah Bleau
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: News
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But for some students, the frosty air isn't limited to the outdoors.
Residents of Rawls Hall have been breaking out the extra comforter to shield them from the cold air circling their rooms, but it hasn't stopped their chilly attitude about the situation.
"Fix our damn heat! It's always cold," said Brittney Kitchen, Rawls Hall resident and sophomore criminal justice major.
Many of the vents in the rooms are blowing cold air instead of heat, residents said.
When the heat is not operating, fresh air is still circulating through the rooms, and it seems that air from outside, not heat, is running through the dorm, said Danny Armitage, associate dean of Residence Life and Dining Services.
Heat is on in other buildings on campus, according to Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Supervisor Jerry Phelps. Rawls Hall residents have noticed this as well. Passing through the lobby, students can be heard muttering how warm other dorms are compared to the chill of Rawls' halls.
Heat is turned on in the dormitories when the temperatures outside have been 55 degrees or lower for three days in a row, but residents are still wondering when the heat is coming. This hasn't been the first time residents haven't had heat in Rawls Hall during the cold months.
Last year, Rawls resident Ashton Lepeard used a space heater and electric blankets to make living conditions in her chilled room bearable. She said she filed a report to fix the heat in her room, but "they never did anything."
Armitage said he hasn't received any complaints about it being too cold in the dorm yet, and Assistant Director of Residence Life Robert Branan hasn't received any either.
But not all students want the heat turned on.
Senior Health Service Administration major Brittany Andrews has lived in Rawls for each of her four years at The U of M. When the heat was turned on last year, she said it was miserable. It was hot enough in her room then to melt a candy bar, she said.
"I'd rather them not cut on the heat," Andrews said.
Others agree, saying it gets too hot when the heat is on.
"There's no happy medium," said Shantell Steffin, who is a first time Rawls resident.
If residents file a work report about their cold rooms, they will send workers out to take care of the problem. Phelps said the building is equipped to make sure heat is distributed to rooms effectively. There are two heating units per floor, as well as steamers in perimeter and corner rooms.
Be patient, Armitage suggested for residents in Rawls.
"The [temperatures] in the building become more normal as soon as the outside air becomes more stable," he said.