LOCAL NEWS Some U of M students bundling up in their dorm rooms due to heat pump failure
By JENNIFER MAYERLE
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — This is a bad time to not have heat – but that was the reality inside a dorm at the University of Minnesota.
Students like Lexi Semeizer bundled up inside Middlebrook Hall just to get some sleep.
“I slept with my jacket on and I had like two pairs of sweatpants and like three socks and slept with my mittens on,” Semeizer said.
The freshman says she returned from Thanksgiving break to find a chill in the air.
“The Towers are like really bad,” Semeizer said.
Students received a message advising they keep their windows and curtains closed to keep in the heat. The dorm did hand out some space heaters.
“It’s kind of like a first-come-first-serve basis,” Semeizer said. “There’s people on my floor that like don’t have heaters, and so they come and like sit in my room.”
Michael Stoll said his room on a higher floor isn’t quite as cold.
“It’s a little cold. I guess like at the coldest probably like mid 60s,” Stoll said.
The U said it became aware of the problem on Monday. The heat pump had failed, and people were working on replacement parts to fix the heat outage.
“I’d be nice if it were warmer again,” Stoll said. “It’s livable, it’s survivable.”
Still, students braced for another possible night of cold.
“I’ll probably just like add more blankets, maybe more socks,” Semeizer said.
James Farnsworth, one of the U’s regents, told WCCO he learned of the situation Tuesday morning and began asking questions. He said it’s essential they do everything as quickly as possible to ensure the comfort and safety of students.
The U announced late Tuesday evening that Middlebrook’s heat has been restored.
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