Residents in the Mason and Randolph Hall Complex use facilities in neighboring dorms amidst hot water outage

by EMMA KINGKEO

News Editor

On Sept. 19, the Mason and Randolph Complex, which includes The Link, experienced hot water outages that lasted for three days.

According to an email sent to residents on Sept. 19 by Assistant Director of Residence Life and Housing John Hughey, the cause of the hot water outage was identified as a failure in the main control board of the hot water heater for Mason, Randolph and The Link. The installation of the replacement was expected to occur on Sept. 20, but because of delays in delivery was completed the day after by Facilities Operations.

Although there was no access to hot water, cold water was still available for use. Many residents, such as freshman Diamond May, attempted to utilize the showers despite the uncomfortable temperatures.

“I had fencing, and I wasn’t getting back till 9:30 at night. So I was like, you know what, I’m hot, it’s fine. It was not fine. It was so cold I was shivering by the time I got out,” she said. 

Students in Randolph Hall were given access to Virginia Hall, and residents of Mason Hall and The Link were given access to Willard Hall to provide them with showers that had working heaters. These buildings have hall-style bathrooms, while the Mason and Randolph Complex is fitted with suite-style bathrooms. 

“I heard from other people that Virginia specifically was very dirty because everyone was using it because of the water outage, and I think everyone was trying to use the first floor,” said May.

Throughout the outage, students could be observed walking across campus carrying shower caddies and bathrobes. Due to the large influx of people using their designated showers, some students noticed that the bathrooms were in poorer conditions.

Freshman Gabby Ayala said, “I pushed through [the cold water] for Wednesday and Thursday, […] but I showered in Virginia, and it was pretty gross because everyone was using it. So it was like, hair on the walls, hair on the floor, it was just gross.”

Jolene Adu, a sophomore biomedical sciences major, similarly tried to make use of the cold water, but the temperature was ultimately unbearable.

“On the first day, I [powered through] and took that cold shower, but then I resorted to going to the alternative location they had given for The Link residents, Willard Hall,” said Adu. “To me it was [fine], but since a lot of athletes are also where I live, we were all trying to shower in the [same] place. It wasn’t overly packed, but just a little.”

Despite this, residents of Virginia Hall seemed to be fairly understanding, according to sophomore history major and Resident Assistant at Virginia Hall Connor Winchell. 

“I think people were pretty understanding about letting people come over,” he said. “There really wasn’t much change, at least that I noticed. I’m not sure truly how many people actually did make the walk over to use the shower.”

Another email sent by Hughey on Sept. 20 provided a status update that cautioned residents against turning on the hot water during the outage, but some were unaware of the warning and were confronted with discolored and foul-smelling water. 

“Friday was when the water stopped and it was coming out yellow. It wasn’t until Saturday night that we even got water back,” said May. “It was not fun to turn the water on and see it pour this deep yellow color, because the pressure wasn’t right either. So it was like a waterfall of gross, deep yellow. 

Sinks were also operating ineffectively, with water pressure building up in the pipes.

“For whatever reason, the sink started having air in the pipes, so when I would go to do something, it would, like, spew,” said May.

Ayala added, “It also kind of stunk from the faucet, too. It would have a funky smell.” 

As a show of appreciation for the patience displayed by residents of Mason, Randolph and The Link, Residence Life and Housing and Facilities Services provided snacks and drinks on the third floor lounge of both Mason and Randolph. The text advertising the refreshments was sent around five hours before the hot water repair, and as a result, students were frustrated by the offering when the main issue still wasn’t fixed. 

“They gave us a bunch of sodas and chips in the Randolph common area, and it’s like, I’d rather have the water back. Why are you giving me Fritos and Sprite?” said May. 

As of Sept. 21, hot water is once again accessible throughout the complex and residents should submit ongoing issues via online work orders.