Sweltering heat a problem in classrooms

Sweat. It's something every Eastern student has been dealing with since classes have resumed.But for students in the Moore and Begley buildings, there is no refuge to be found even in the classroom.

"My chem. lab is burning up," said Archie Fay, a junior prepharmacy major who has classes in Moore.

Fay said his lab is in the morning, so he has it better than other students, but he said his chemistry professor complains of sweltering temperatures once the evening high sets in.

Jenn Rogers, a freshman plant systematics major, has only one class in Moore, but says her time spent there is already affecting her.

"It's hot enough to make me feel sick," she said.

Both Fay and Rogers say the first floor is not so bad, but describe the third floor as nearly intolerable.

Rogers said the bathrooms are also bad, and the experience is starting to unnerve her.

"It's really hard for me to stay awake in class or focus," she said.

Malcolm Frisbie, professor of biological sciences and member of the Board of Regents, echoes the problems in Moore. He said his office has been comfortable, but in the classroom the heat is hard on everyone involved.

Heat problems are also in the Begley building, as the situation is basically the same.

Custodial workers battle heat while going about their duties, claiming the experience is similar to working in a boiler room.

"(It's) unreal," said Steven Moore, a custodian who just transferred to the Begley Building.

Rich Middleton, director of Facilities Services, said his staff understand the conditions and are frustrated by the malfunctions of the systems.

"We're extremely sensitive to the discomfort and inconveniences the faculty, staff and students are experiencing," he said.

Middleton said Facilities Services has been working diligently to combat the problem since classes have been in session, but the process is not a simple one to reverse.

He said there are some technical differences between the two buildings, but the same set of factors is crippling both systems.

The main factor is sludge buildup, he said. The buildings are cooled by chilled water passed through a hydronic piping system, which includes a series of coils. Middleton said the air is forced over these coils before pushing out of the system.

He said a gradual buildup of sludge could form and settle in the bottom of the coils in older systems.

The Moore building was built in 1968, and Begley was built in 1970, so, it is not uncommon for this buildup to happen, he said.

"When it settles in the coils, you have to inject chemicals to release these coils," he said.

These chemicals are in essence an acid that eats away at the sludge, eventually destroying it.

But it's not a fast process. "There is not an expectation of immediate result," he said.

Another problem is the intense heat occurring all over the state, which puts additional strain on any air conditioning system.

Middleton said the systems in the Moore and Begley buildings were created to sustain a temperature up to twenty degrees lower than the outside temperature at full capacity.

Middleton said with temperatures nearing 100 degrees, the system would only be able to cool the buildings to degrees in the high 70s.

Even at full capacity, the building's system is created to only handle temperatures around 90 degrees. "Mother Nature is working against us," he said.

And Middleton said it is impractical to bring in any type of alternative cooling device while the system is being repaired.

Nevertheless, custodians have done what little they can in the Begley building, placing a set of fans to stagger some of the heat.