Hot water and heating

restored as fast as possible
In response to the article “Residence halls lose heat during weekend” on April 17, I would like to personally apologize for any inconvenience to hall residents during our brief and limited loss of hot water in the Hamilton Complex and of heating in H.P. Barnhart. While some of the content of the article was factual, the hearsay was misleading, prompting me to draft this letter.
On April 13, a hot water heater in Hamilton failed, causing there to be no hot water in Tingle, McClain and Cloran halls. Since we store replacement water heaters, we were able to install the new one in record time. Normally, reordering this equipment takes up to three months, but planning and coordinated efforts made it possible for hot water to be restored by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16.
On April 10, the heating system malfunctioned at H.P. Barnhart. The replacement part was due to arrive on Friday, April 12 from Illinois, but did not arrive until Monday, April 15, at which time the repair was completed. Unfortunately, the large, seven-story building takes up to 10 hours to warm back up, so some residents may not have felt the heat until Tuesday.
Maintenance of older buildings presents many challenges throughout the year, but I am pleased to say that our staff rises to the challenge daily. Although this situation was beyond our control, any amount of time without heat or hot water is truly an inconvenience, and I again sincerely apologize to our residents.

Mike Eyster

Director of University Housing and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs

Safety measures should

be tempered with caution
In the aftermath of Sept. 11, and with all the publicity concerning an alleged increase in campus crime, there has been much demand for greater security at the University (with the Emerald’s editors in the forefront).
I would urge caution here, and remind the community of what Benjamin Franklin once said: “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
The Founding Fathers knew the dangers inherent in submitting to the dubious protective instincts of authority. We, too, should be aware that the goal of any governmental power structure is not so much to protect its citizenry as it is to maintain its position at the apex of the status quo.

Bill Smee

University staff