After three weeks without hot water, residents of three buildings in Richmond Quad have a bone to pick with UB officials.
It's not even about the bone-chillingly cold showers, the students say. It's about the way the residents feel they were left out in the cold by residence halls administrators.
The cold water in the morning - which started about nine days ago - was a blow to the residents' quality of life, according to Eric Sharp, a sophomore history major.
"You'd wake up, go to take a shower, and you wouldn't know if it was going to be hot or cold. You took your chances every morning, it was a crapshoot," said Sharp. "I took the coldest shower of my life last week. It was so cold it hurt. If I was in there a minute, I was in there too long."
Some residents said they have even gone to other buildings to shower because the water in their building was too cold.
"I had to go to different buildings to shower, and it really isn't pleasant to walk outside with wet hair," said sophomore communication major Jennifer Gillan. "It's really inconvenient."
According to Katherine Geldard, a sophomore industrial engineering major, the worst part was that residents were not immediately informed as to why they lacked hot water. She said that four days ago, however, they received an e-mail from University Residence Halls and Apartments.
According to URH&A Maintenance Supervisor Michael Jacobs, the problem arose three weeks ago. In the past few weeks, it has affected bathroom facilities in buildings 4, 5 and 6 in Richmond.
Jacobs explained that the lack of hot water stems from two problematic valves in the water system, one of which has been rebuilt three or four times in the past month alone.
According to Jacobs, there will be a water shutdown from 9 p.m. to midnight tonight in order to replace the four valves, two of which will be replaced as a precautionary measure to prevent any further problems.
In the meantime, some of the affected residents, including Geldard, have said that they would like to receive compensation for this inconvenience.
"We're paying over $17 a day to live here, and it's ridiculous. We can't even get a decent shower," Geldard said.
Joseph Krakowiak, director of URH&A, said that the affected students will receive compensation, but the compensation has yet to be determined.
"We want to fix the problem, determine the length of time that it has been going on and how many people were affected, and then make adjustments from there," said Krakowiak. "We will do something to act according to the Minimum Living Conditions Standards and compensate those that were affected."
Krakowiak said that in the 2003-04 Guide to Residence Hall Living, there is a section that sets forth Minimum Living Conditions Standards.
Standard III states: "The campus shall provide each student with adequate living space, furniture, and appropriate and sufficient heat, light and hot water."
This standard does not explain what is considered to be a sufficient amount of hot water, according to Krakowiak, so this must be determined before any compensation can be allotted.
Despite the promise of compensation, some residents are still extremely unhappy about the situation.
"All I can say is that I won't be living in Richmond Quad next year," said Gillan.
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
