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U of M dorm heat has students complaining about temperatures

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Published  December 3, 2024 9:49pm CST
Minneapolis
FOX 9

U of M dorm room heat issues continue

Some U of M students have found they’re in for a harsh new reality with the changing of seasons - their dorm rooms have no heat.

The Brief

    • Students residing in the University of Minnesota's Comstock Hall say their rooms have had a lack of heat so far this year.
    • U of M officials say that the transition from summer to winter caused air to become trapped in the system that now needs to be removed.
    • The university is currently offering space heaters for students to use until the issue is fixed.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Returning to campus after the holiday break, some University of Minnesota (U of M) students have found they’re in for a harsh new reality at Comstock Hall.

Struggling to keep up

The residence hall’s heating system is struggling to keep up with Mother Nature.

"It’s been real cold inside my room… My room is just freezing," fourth floor resident Sarang Tantry told FOX 9. "My hands and my feet get so cold."

U of M administrators say when Comstock Hall transitioned from air conditioning to heating, air became trapped in the system that now needs to be removed.

"It’s not a building-wide issue, which makes it a little more challenging to address because we have to look at each unit," director of housing and residential life Susan Stubblefield said. "We view it as a priority and emergency, we’re responding very quickly."

Stubblefield says the facilities management team is working overtime to get that done, and intends to fix the problem by the end of the day on Wednesday.

University response

Students received this message from the school on Monday:

Dear Comstock resident,

We regret that after a recent service of the heating system, some of you lost heat in your rooms.

We are aware of the issue and are working quickly to perform the work in each affected room to fully restore heat. 

While many rooms have already been addressed, if you are experiencing a lack of heat in your room, please submit a Fix It request so that the facilities staff can prioritize and complete the work. 

You may check out a space heater from the Information Desk to heat your room until the facilities staff complete the work. Fix It requests regarding this will be addressed within 24 hours.

For more information, please review our Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning guidelines.  

Reach out to comstock.hall@umn.edu with any questions.