Fri 03 Sep 2010

- The award-winning student news website of Imperial College

Search by Date | What is Live!? | Got a Story? | Advertise on Live!

NOTICE: Due to a large amount of spam, a new CAPTCHA has been added to the discussion form. You will need to correctly fill in the two words shown in the image each time you submit a comment. Failure to do so may result in the loss of everything you have typed, so please don't forget this bit.

Live! - News

Halls without hot water over weekend

Oct 14 2003 12:32

Oliver Pell

Several IC Halls of Residence housing nearly 1,000 students will be without heating and hot water this weekend.

Imperial's flagship Beit Hall is one of those affected by the shutdown.

Work on the new Tanaka Business School building will lead to a complete shutdown of heating to Beit, Linstead and Southside Halls of Residence this weekend. Some hot water will be available from a "back-up" system but is expected to run at a lower capacity and temperature than normal. About 300 students living in Beit Hall, 200 students in Linstead Hall and 400 students in Southside will be affected by the shutdown.

The shutdown will last from 4pm Friday through to 4pm on Monday and students are being asked to conserve hot water during this period. Live! has learnt that some students in particular need will be provided with temporary heaters but others are being asked not to install their own electrical heating "as the halls will not sustain the extra surge in electricity". The electrical supplies in halls of residence are of course legendary, with Southside residents not being permitted toasters or other high-current devices in their rooms due to the state of the electrical system.

In a bid to prevent the entire student population freezing to death, heaters will be installed in hall common rooms and students will be issued with duvets which will be collected afterwards. By way of compensation for the disruption students will be issued with vouchers for a breakfast or dinner from college catering and access to the sports centre.

Students have received virtually no notice of the shutdown, with re-apps in Southside only being informed last night and many students still not aware that the shutdown will take affect at 4pm on Friday. Union figures have also expressed concern about the lack of student consultation about the plans.

Email this Article | Share on Facebook |

Print this Article

Discussion about “Halls without hot water over weekend”

The comments below are unmoderated submissions by Live! readers. The Editor accepts no liability for their content, nor for any offence caused by them. Any complaints should be directed to the Editor.

1. Hotwaterbottle

Oct 14 2003 12:56

I think the recommended way to treat somebody with hypothermia is to get naked, take their clothes off too and cuddle up close to them. Sounds like fun to me.

2. Sam

Oct 14 2003 13:38

Yeah, hot**terbottle at their feet, and get in the same sleeping bag as them - definitely warms me up ;o)

3. clanger

Oct 14 2003 13:39

I think that the article should read "... will last from 4pm Friday through to 4pm on Monday..." to avoid creating undue panic and confusion (well, any more than normal anyway).

4. Editor

Oct 14 2003 13:59

Noted & corrected.

Thanks.

5. pedANT

Oct 14 2003 16:17

'students will be issued with duvets which will be connected afterwards'

Connected to what?

6. simon

Oct 14 2003 17:05

Connected to the power sockets of course...

I think that technically, this is quite unacceptable. Surely the Health and Safety laws would be broken by this weekend work?

7. pedANT

Oct 14 2003 17:31

Surely connecting Duvets to a power socket isn't going to help. After all its only a piece of fabric.

8. Sam

Oct 15 2003 00:58

Ahhh...

But what if the seams have been reinforced and some nutrients soaked into the corner?

/End HHGTTG reference

9. Oliver Pell

Oct 15 2003 08:56

Frankly, if you're going to survive in this universe, you're going to need to know where your towel is.

10. Towlie

Oct 15 2003 09:45

Remember to take a towel with you.

11. Dan Y

Oct 15 2003 16:50

Freezing to death? Am i hearing this right? It's only October - hardly the middle of january. Put on a jumper for 3 days and stop moaning you soft southerners :)

12. ant

Oct 15 2003 23:07

well said young Dan..

13.

Oct 16 2003 08:37

What about the asthmatics?

14. hmmm... Ventolin....

Oct 16 2003 09:02

wear a scarf?

anyhoo, different triggers for diferent people, personally living somewhere dusty is a trigger for me...

15. Starbuck

Oct 16 2003 13:32

What, like London?

16. ...

Oct 16 2003 14:08

Starbuck haven't you left, don't you have anything better to do with your time!!?

17. Steve

Oct 16 2003 15:02

Well done ant on the pun (intentional or otherwise)

I'd like to hear what Dan thinks after his third freezing cold shower, oh and anyone else tried standing in the cold all night? - it isn't nice, believe me. October it maybe but it's well past shorts and T-Shirt weather

p.s. and almost exactly as northern as Dan but from the proper side of the country.

18. Bob

Oct 16 2003 17:31

Connected? I think you should get some new specs - it reads coLLected

19. pedANT

Oct 16 2003 22:09

sorry bob but when i first commented the article said 'connected', then a friendly editor corrected it but never acknowledged the fact.

20. Starbuck

Oct 17 2003 14:18

Yes, I have left, but I still get a lunch hour stuck in an office.

Closed This discussion is closed.