Stonehill’s dorm dilemma

By Jay Ghiorse

During the cold snap last month, several dorms had problems with heating systems.

Photo Credit: Krystal Layton

Bogan Hall, Boland Hall, Villa Theresa, and Colonial Courts were residence halls with the issues.

“The biggest hurdle is with the thermostats,” said Brue Boyer, director of facilities management. “They’re centralized. So, the heat is not equally distributed to everybody.”

Many of the older dorms, like Colonial Courts, have only a few thermostats, with one thermostat covering several rooms. As a result, the temperature of one room may not be sufficient for other rooms.

While the weather is now warming up, students still remember those chilly days.

“I had to wrap myself in extra layers,” said senior Cavan Lepro.

“I can’t focus when it’s so cold,” said Rob Riccitelli, '25, at the time of the colder temperatures. “My hands are literally freezing.” Riccitelli and Lepro live in Bogan Hall.

Regulating temperatures in the dorms is difficult, whether it involves the heating system or air conditioning.

“I remember last year, the Colonial Courts dorms were extremely hot,” said Riccitelli. “There was only one thermometer and our room didn’t have control over that.”

Maintenance has been working on fixing the heating system at Bogan Hall, as well as the ventilation, and the air conditioning.

Boyer has a theory on what causes problems in the winter there, saying, “Often, when it gets too cold, the hot air sweeps away, causing the pipes to freeze and break.”