Weld Students File Heating Complaint With Health Board

Residents of Weld North yesterday filed a complaint with the Cambridge Board of Health, after University officials failed to respond to earlier complaints about poor heating throughout the dorm.

The students told Cambridge officials that poor insulation, luke-warm heating and missing storm windows have made the rooms almost intolerable, adding that the temperatures in some Weld suites had dropped to as low as 56 degrees during the day and 45 degrees at night.

Massachusetts health laws require the temperature in all occupied buildings to be at least 68 degrees between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. and 64 degrees during the night.

"It's too cold to study, too cold to sleep; and since there's no other place to study after midnight, it affects our performance in school," Lisa M. Alvarez '84, a Weld resident, said yesterday. She added that many students living in the dormitory had colds and one student had contracted strep throat.

Michael F. Nelson '84, the student who filed the Health Board complaint, said yesterday that despite petitions, calls and complaints to Buildings and Grounds officials and Robert I. Mortimer, the superintendent in charge of the Yard dorms, conditions have improved only minimally. "I'm hoping the Cambridge people can figure out who controls the heat around here, because I can't," he added.

Henry C. Moses, dean of freshmen, who met with the students yesterday, said although he was aware of the problem, he thought the situation had improved sufficiently. "When I realized the problem still was not solved, I talked with people in the facilities office. They were very accommodating and reported to me this afternoon that the problem had been solved," Moses added.

A spokesman for the Board of Health said yesterday afternoon that he had notified Harvard of the complaint. "If nothing is done within a few hours, we will take further action," he said