SLU Struggles to Heat Older Dorms

The Chief Facilities Officer at St. Lawrence University believes that recurring issues with the heating system may be equally attributed to the infrastructure of older buildings on campus. Students often complain about air drafts in older residential buildings and overheating in other campus facilities. Despite the effort of the Housing and Residence Life Department to tend to their needs, there is an increasing pressure to maintain campus infrastructure.

Issues with the campus’ infrastructure are especially present in some student houses. “I don’t really notice any issues with the heating itself,” said Caroline Paclat ’20 living in Commons College. “However, our house is so incredibly drafty that I feel like the school probably wastes a ton of money heating it. Basically, our house is falling apart and I would love for administration to help us fix it,” she emphasized.

Chief Facilities Officer of St. Lawrence University Dan Seaman attributed the drafts in buildings like Commons to the current installment of single-pane windows that are inefficient and need replacing. He confirmed that the problem of inconsistent temperatures in classrooms and residence halls is a result of both the heating system and the infrastructure. “Many of our buildings are fairly old and not insulated adequately,” Seaman said.

The balance between the need to replace parts of the heating system and modernize the infrastructure will continue to be an issue unless it is addressed soon. Sebástian Gonzáles ‘19, a Community Assistant of two-and-a-half years said that he has been “noticing the inconsistency in the heating system” since he was a first-year student. Gonzáles believes there is a waste of energy with the heating system because students cannot control the temperature of their own rooms.

“There’s a lot of heat lost because the buildings are so old that [the facilities are] not maintaining the heating system,” Gonzáles said. If the school can find a way to afford an upkeep of maintenance within the heating system and older facilities on campus, students’ complaints may be addressed. Until then, the most important thing students can do, according to Seaman, is report any problems they have as quickly as possible so that the facilities department can try to resolve them.

Gracie Baker ’20 is currently experiencinng heating issues. “The older part of Dean, where I live, hasn’t had heating since the beginning of the school year, and it feels like every other building has it,” Baker said. “I feel neglected, and I wish that there was heat. Some rooms in other buildings are burning hot and my room is freezing,” she added.

Dean Eaton Hall is just one of 24 buildings that are heated by the Central Heating Plant, which uses boilers that are between 42 and 47-years-old. The school’s 2018 Energy Master Plan Summary, which regards the university’s goals for sustainability and energy use, recognizes that as maintenance costs continue to rise, the replacement of these boilers will be more economical than their constant repair. However, the question is whether or not emphasis should be placed upon the infrastructure of older buildings themselves.