On-campus residents wake to cold showers

As if yesterday's arctic temperatures and icy sidewalks weren't bad enough for students, some High Rise dormitory residents woke up to cold showers yesterday morning. College junior Roger Trief said he had no hot water in his High Rise North room yesterday morning. He added that other students told him they too had frigid bathing experiences. James Stallworth, a College senior, said the lack of water pressure presented him with a dilemma. "I woke up and went into the shower and was greeted by a trickle, a warm trickle," Stallworth said. "The problem was that when I turned the cold on to get pressure, I lost the heat. Given the temperature, I had to choose heat. I had to take a shower in a little stream of water." Vice President for Facilities Arthur Gravina said last night that Philadelphia Thermal, the company that supplies heat to the University, had problems with a boiler yesterday. But he added that any problems with hot water in any dormitories were due to "individual building problems." Kevin Brown, vice president of marketing at Philadelphia Thermal, agreed, adding that a fan and boiler "were lost" yesterday. Both were repaired before day's end, Brown said. "We've been operating and have been providing adequate thermal services to the University," he said. However, workers at Physical Plant disagreed. Shift Supervisor Tom Truesdale said Philadelphia Thermal's boiler problems essentially cut in half the amount of steam normally provided to the University. Truesdale added that neither he nor others at Physical Plant have heard from Philadelphia Thermal that the boiler was repaired. While all students were not forced to take cold showers, most High Rise residents were affected by what some have called another similarly grueling problem. While the water temperature was fine in Jennifer Piquette's shower, the Nursing sophomore was not at all pleased by her twenty-one flight walk to her High Rise East room. "The elevators weren't working," she said. Gravina explained that elevators were shut down by the University as a precautionary measure, taken for fear that students might have been stuck in them if the dormitories lost power. The Philadelphia Electric Company warned the University yesterday morning that power may be cut off due to the high demand for power created throughout the city by the low temperatures. Gravina's office posted letters in all campus buildings yesterday morning asking occupants to "help curtail the non-critical use of electric power in the building." In the end, PECO did not cut off the University's power supply, but Gravina said PECO would assess their loads again this morning at 7 a.m. to determine whether any University buildings would have their power turned off. Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said last night that if PECO would have decided to cut power, the Quadrangle, Stouffer College House and Superblock would have been affected. Before deciding if elevators will be turned off again today, Simeone said she will consult with Physical Plant officials.