Hill House loses heat Saturday

Though the heat was out only two hours, some Hill residents said their rooms still haven't fully warmed up. Due to a computer malfunction, the heating system at Hill College House shut down for approximately two hours Saturday afternoon, leaving residents without heat during a weekend of bitterly cold weather. Temperatures in the Philadelphia region dropped to 18 degrees Saturday, with wind chills making it feel colder than 20 degrees below zero at times. Physical Plant employees responded to a resident's complaint at approximately 2:30 p.m. and employees were able to repair the system and restore the heat by 5 p.m., according to Physical Plant Executive Director Jim Wargo. "The heating system has been working efficiently and properly since then," he said. Wargo explained that the computer device controlling the delivery of hot water to the heating system failed, leaving all of the building's heaters without hot water. But some Hill residents said they suspect the heating system may still be malfunctioning and complained that Saturday's chill hasn't left their rooms. "I can't live like this," College freshman Lara Harding said Sunday. "It was bitterly cold in my room yesterday, and it hasn't really improved." She added that although the hallway near her first floor room has warmed up since Saturday, the temperature in her room has not increased noticeably. Tracy Feld, Hill House's assistant dean in residence, said a lack of communication between Physical Plant employees and residential administrators in the dormitory prevented Hill officials from being able to answer student questions about the malfunction. "We really were not informed of what the circumstances with the heating problems were," she said. "It was extremely frustrating not to have more information to share with students in the emergency situation." Wharton freshman and Hill resident Shannon Hennessy said the cold came as an unwelcome surprise. "I was at rush events all afternoon, so I was freezing outside anyway," she said. "When I came back [to my room], I had to put about seven layers on to get even a little warmer." But while many residents complained of suffering from the cold, others said they only noticed a slight chill. "My feet were a little cold -- but I never noticed that the heat stopped working," Engineering freshman Antonio Wong said. Several Hill residents said the building's poor construction contributes to continuing problems with the cold. Hennessy, for example, said cold air enters her dorm room as a result of leaky windows. She added that the Hill Services Center provides residents with free plastic sheeting to wrap around the edges of their windows to help keep the cold out. "The windows leak very badly," she said. "The plastic sheeting is supposed to help, but I haven't put it up yet." And Harding said she has not filed a maintenance report with Hill House administrators because she does not believe they will take the necessary steps to alleviate the problem. "I really don't have too much confidence with things getting fixed here," she said. "They really haven't been in the past."