FRIDAY, OCT. 27, 2023
VOLUME 109 | ISSUE 7
HAYDEN SADLER/Cardinal Points
Champlain Valley Hall is one building on campus that experiences inconsistent heating and cooling throughout the year because it uses steam.
Feelings lukewarm for campus heating BY ALEKSANDER SIDOROVA Editor in Chief
College staff and students, especially those living in dorms, noticed it took longer for heating to turn on this year. The fluctuating temperatures don’t make it easy on the college either. In a written response, Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing Heather Haskins and Assistant Vice President for Maintenance and Operations Tyson Moulton explained how the heating system at SUNY Plattsburgh functions. Maintenance and Operations follows the weather forecast and turns the heat on when nighttime temperatures begin to drop. The heating turned on 10 days later than last year. “In the past, this has been a very successful strategy,” Haskins and Moulton wrote. “This year there were some complications.” This year’s weather patterns were unpredictable and quick to change. According to AccuWeather, in the month of September, Plattsburgh first saw a heatwave with temperatures in the 80s, then they dropped to rainy 60s. The first week of October, temperatures crept back up to high 70s and quickly fell to the 50s. Since Wednesday, the city has been in the comfortable 60s range, with
temperatures due to drop to the 40s next week. New York state’s Department of Environmental Conservation lists more frequent cold waves and heatwaves as one of the side effects of climate change. Additionally, Haskins and Moulton wrote, all the rain from the summer resulted in excessive amounts of groundwater. Maintenance and Operations also discovered some system issues, which extended a process that otherwise takes several days to more than two weeks. “We’ve received complaints about the lack of heat this fall and recognize that the strategy that has been successful for years didn’t work this year,” Haskins and Moulton wrote. “We’re working on assessing how we’ll change this for next year. We are also aware of the buildings that are particularly challenging. Most important to us is that the campus knows how much the Maintenance and Operations staff care.” The Central Heating Plant creates high-temperature hot water, which makes its way to campus buildings through pipes buried in the ground. The water leaves the plant at a pressure of 200 pounds of force per square inch and a heat of 400 degrees — twice its boiling point.
HAYDEN SADLER/Cardinal Points
A thermostat in Ward Hall displays a reading of 91 degrees Fahrenheit. HEAT > 3
Statement from the editor in chief In this issue, we are releasing the longest correction that we know of, pertaining to last issue’s editorial expressing our stance on the Israel-Hamas War. We also updated the web version. As some of you pointed out, it was hastily put together and we allowed for multiple factual errors, which is inexcus-
able for the level of journalism that we aspire to. The way we publish editorials is flawed. Moving forward, we will ensure that all, or a majority of the editorial board, reads, approves and signs on editorials. To allow for this, editorials will be written in advance, by the beginning of the week we
ARTS & CULTURE
publish the issue featuring it. Cardinal Points may be produced solely by a passionate group of full-time college students with jobs and other personal obligations, but we still owe you our best work, which last issue’s editorial did not amount to. We will also be more open to seeking guidance from our faculty ad-
THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS
viser when necessary. Additionally, we want to remind you that we welcome letters to the editor and guest essay submissions. Watch our latest video on YouTube for more details. Lastly, we want to note that we are not publishing a full issue next week, but you can expect breaking
sports stories. Thank you for helping us make the most of this learning opportunity. We will always strive to do better. Sincerely, Aleksandra Sidorova Editor in Chief
SPORTS
OPINION Homecoming changed page 12
Students produce plays in a day
Culinary Throwdown
Hockey season preview
page 4
page 7
page 8