The buzz in The Buzz Coffeehouse on Wednesday was the balmy weather. Temperatures in The Buzz reached a high of 84 degrees, while other parts of the EMU experienced lows of 54.
EMU facilities manager Dana Winitzky said the fluctuating temperatures were thanks to a faulty heating pump that pulls steam from the physical plant.
“Our system is 50 years old,” Winitzky said. “We had to pull a few rabbits out of our hats to find some pumps to fix the problem.”
The 50-year-old pumps failed shortly before winter break, forcing EMU employees to use electric space-heaters to warm their offices. Winitzky said the broken pumps were the biggest disaster to hit the EMU since flooding in 1996 submerged parts of the building in a foot of water.
“If we had lost our system, we’d be in trouble,” Winitzky said. “We would have had to close down parts of the building.”
Winitzky said the rejuvenated heating system was flooding the EMU with hot air, and the first place to receive the heat was lower levels of the building.
Patrons of The Buzz, located on the ground floor of the EMU, can expect tropical weather for the rest of the weekend while maintenance personnel bleed radiator lines in an effort to bring building temperatures back to a cost-effective 72 degrees.
Assistant Food Service Director Victoria Varble-Goss, who manages The Buzz, said the temperature hasn’t affected sales.
“If it lasts for a while, I’ll ask employees to wear grass skirts,” Varble-Goss said. “We will have tropical drinks.”

— Andrew Black