One residence hall lost heat April 10 and another lost hot water over the weekend, forcing some residents to run their showers for heat and others to bathe in nearby facilities.
Hamilton complex director Peter Erschen said three halls in the complex lost hot water Saturday, but it was restored Tuesday. He said some residents of Tingle, McClain and Cloran halls showered in nearby bathrooms. Hamilton houses 780 students.
Some floors of H.P. Barnhart lost heat, according to Kari Van Orsdel, the building’s food service manager. University Housing maintenance worker Steve Partridge stopped by Friday to ask the kitchen staff if utilities were working properly as he checked Barnhart’s seven floors, Orsdel said. The hall is home to 450 students.
“He said it was off on some and on others,” she said.
Several Barnhart residents said Partridge told them April 10 the pump for the hot water heater had broken and would be fixed overnight. Others said Partridge told them the heat was shut off to save electricity during last week’s balmy weather.
Orsdel said the Barnhart kitchen didn’t lose either utility.
“If we didn’t have hot water, we’d have to go to paper,” she said of the dining room plates. “It’s important for us to have it.”

— Eric Martin