LORMAN -
Aquinetta Daniels, a resident of Thompson Tower at Alcorn,
said she dreads taking her morning shower because she never
knows if the water is going to be hot or cold.
"I'm so d--- tired of taking a cold shower, I think it's
impossible for the water to stay hot around here," said
Daniels, a sophomore nursing major.
For years, Alcorn students have complained that hot water in
the dormitories is hard to come by.
"It is not fair that we work hard all day and can't get a
good, hot shower," said Martha Hart, a sophomore social work
major from Belzoni.
But students may soon get some relief from the problem, said
Albert Johnson, director of the physical plant. Johnson said
Alcorn administrators asked the State Legislature last April
to provide money to replace, repair and upgrade chillers,
water boilers and add facility softener equipment. The
project is expected to cost more than $1 million, he said.
"Even if the campus does get a new water source, we can not
break down what is already in the system, so the problem
will definitely be around for a while," Johnson said.
Johnson said one of the reasons hot water has become a
problem for some students is that the water is hard.
"Hard water is not harmful to people, but it is harmful to
the pipes it travels through," Johnson said.
He said hard water crystallizes, causing the pipes to clog.
As a result, the water cannot travel through the pipes
properly. Silica, an acid, also interrupts the flow of water
into the dormitories because it latches onto metal and clogs
whatever it is attached to. Other substances that cause the
pipes to clog are calcium and lime.
"Just the other day, boilers were replaced in Demby Tower,
Mabel Thomas Hall and Burrus Hall," Johnson said. The
boiler in Demby burst recently, leaving the men with cold
showers, but the boilers in Mabel Thomas and Burrus halls
are just old and need replacing, he said.
Johnson said problems also occur when pipes burst and
certified welders must be called in to fix them.
"The welders are in Brandon, so it takes time for them to
get here," he said. "This can also prolong the wait for hot
water."
According to records obtained from the physical plant, the
hot water problem dates back to 1995.
"I don't want people to think the problem is being ignored
because we are doing our best to solve it," said Johnson.
"The problem is more in depth than people think it is. The pipes burst in Robinson Hall on Monday," Johnson said.
"After the pipes have been clogged for a certain period of
time, the pipes will burst causing even bigger problems. We
put things in the water such as chlorine and other agents to
try to break these harmful substances down, but they only
come back after a certain period of time," he said.
"I just want to know why we can't take a hot shower every
night," said Chad Neal, a junior agriculture major from Belzoni.
Johnson said the boilers are set to heat certain amounts of
water at a time and the hot water will only stretch so far.
After the heated water has been used, the dormitories are
left with cold water.
"I understand the problems that we are having with the pipes
and boilers, but I am still freezing in cold showers which
are very uncomfortable," said Tiffany Wilkerson, a junior
computer science major from Vicksburg.
"I'm very sick of this problem and I hope it gets better, I
don't think we should have to wait on hot water because
financial aid does not wait to receive their money," said
Rodney Reed a senior agriculture major from Silver City.
Johnson said there is no quick solution to the problem.
"I hope the students can understand why their water will be
cold sometimes," Johnson said, "I also hope it is
understood that it is not human error but things in nature
that are causing the many problems."
Johnson said calcium, lime, burst pipes and boilers are what
leave the campus without hot water, not the workers.
Some students said they disagreed with Johnson.
"I'm quite sure things can get solved quicker than they are
getting solved now," said Carla Profice, a senior from
Natchez.