After an early bout of wintry weather descended on the hill last week, many Jumbos say they have been left out in the cold. Tufts' residential heating systems - which are traditionally up and running before frosty temperatures set in - were not slated to be fully activated until Monday. Yesterday, however, dorm residents were warmed by news that heat in all of Tufts' residential buildings has been turned on for the winter.
Heating systems in most academic buildings have been activated as well, and the rest are slated to be operating by Monday, according to James Pearson, a Facilities Department trade supervisor on the Medford campus. Pearson said he had planned to heat all Tufts buildings by today, but was concerned that there would not be enough time. Fortunately, weekend temperatures are expected to be in the low 70s.
The department said it has not received many heat-related complaints thus far. When complaints are received, however, facilities workers go directly to the building in question to ensure that the heat has been turned on and is operating properly.
"A lot of times people don't know how to turn the heat on in their rooms, like how to work the thermostat, or they leave a window open - small things like that," Pearson said. Most dorm rooms have individual heat control units so that students can adjust the temperature of their rooms.
Though none have registered official complaints, some students have been vocal about the need for heat in the dorms. "The heat's on in the lounge, but I have not felt it on in the room," said freshman Brian Kessler, who lives in South Hall. "In the morning it's freezing here. Yesterday morning I didn't even want to get out of the shower."
Residents in Lewis Hall have also complained of the cold, and some are concerned that their heaters will not be adequate when winter settles in for the season.
"For right now it hasn't been so cold, but when it gets colder I don't think [the heat] is going to be enough," senior Lewis Hall resident Sabri Gmira said. "I put it on maximum to see how warm the room would get, but I didn't notice that much of a difference."
But for other University residents, this season's residential heating schedule was of little concern.
"I'm in the Wren Hall basement, and it's been comfortable thus far," freshman David Turkington said. "We haven't needed heat."
Some even thought that it was unseasonably early to turn the heat on. "I don't want the heat to be turned on," sophomore Houston Hall resident Randy Newsom said. "It's still too hot." Each year, the administration establishes a deadline by which all campus heating systems must be activated. Over the last few years the date has been set at Oct. 15th, as temperatures can drop to the low 30s on October nights.
The process began with the University's smaller, older houses, and then progressed to the larger residence halls before academic buildings.
Recent weather fluctuations have demonstrated the erratic nature of New England weather this time of year. A freeze advisory on Tuesday night contrasted with Wednesday and Thursday temperatures reaching into the 70s.
According to Pearson, whose responsibilities include the supervision of electricity, carpentry, heating, air conditioning, and masonry, the gradual process of providing campus-wide heating began around Oct 1. Since then, facilities department boiler mechanics have worked on an average of five to six buildings each day, priming and firing up the boilers.
Most residential buildings are run on oil-fired boilers, though a few buildings use natural gas-powered systems. Larger buildings use steam to heat water that radiates throughout the buildings. Before heating systems can be activated, many need to be primed, and have their filters changed and cleaned.
Despite the seemingly drastic conditions, TheOld Farmer's Almanac predicts New England's average temperature for this month will be 55 degrees, one degree above the region's October average. Next month is also expected to bring fairly typical temperatures, averaging 41 degrees, one degree lower than usual.
