By Yara Kashlan and Sierra Bein
Frigid Toronto temperatures are leading to complaints from staff and students about fluctuating conditions in campus buildings.
Complaints for specific rooms in Kerr Hall East (KHE) were expressed starting last semester when temperatures began to drop.
One faculty member mentioned that the noise coming from the radiator in her class was disruptive.
Mireille Mai Truong teaches French on the second and third floors of KHE. She submitted a complaint to the Campus Facilities and Sustainability (CFS) website.
CFS asks students and staff to send them any temperature complaints.
“When I was teaching in KHE on Monday morning, the noise was terrible. One could hardly hear one another speak. It was better today, but then the heating may not have been coming on as it was warmer,” she wrote to CFS in an email.
When Truong returned for this semester, the noises had reduced, but the temperatures in the building were still on the fritz.
“I had a student who was particularly sensitive to the noise and when we had tests in there, he couldn’t stand it,” she said.
“Every winter there’s that big banging noise with the heating as soon as the heating goes on or if it’s been very cold.” Her students are not the only ones distracted by the temeprature fluctuations.
“I suffer more from over heat than anything else,” she said. CFS said all heating, ventilation and air conditioning is operational.
They’re also “unaware of any ongoing or unresolved temperature related issues,” said Kerri Bailey, manager of finance and strategic planning.
CFS has noticed a lower number of calls this year.
“Every winter we receive a fairly standard number of work orders about heating,” Bailey said.
Calls received this year were resolved within a 24-hour period, according to Bailey.
Marko Esho, a third-year computer science student, has several classes in Kerr Hall.
“Sometimes it’ll be really hot.
Some other classes, once in a while will be really cold and the prof will have to call to get it fixed, but it never really gets fixed,” he said.
Some, like second-year medical science student Nicole Forgrave, had classes with the banging noise.
“It sounds like the world is coming to an end. It sounds like someone’s standing at the heater and kicking it with a metal boot,” she said.
CFS is encouraging students to contact them if they experience any issues with heating problems.
“The biggest challenge we face in campus facilities and sustainability is that we can’t fix a problem if we aren’t informed about it,” Bailey said.
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