By DJ Pfeifle.
Evergreen’s famous “Hot Spot” outside of dorm building A, has recently come under fire for being just a little bit too hot.
In an email sent out to Residential And Dining Services (RAD) tenants by RAD in late November, students were warned that: “The paved walkway outside residence hall A is reaching temperatures in excess of 160 Degrees Fahrenheit,” as “human skin can be severely burned at these temperatures”.
This message has been more or less ignored by students who continue to lounge about on the Hot Spot, without a care for the warnings clearly posted around it — but hey, life is too short to listen to dumb signs anyway.
After a simple experiment by this reporter, of placing a bare hand directly on the Hot Spot for 20 uninterrupted seconds, and not having any burns to human skin, severe or otherwise, one can conclude that the Hot Spot is safe at least for the time being. Nevertheless, that begs the question, what caused this immense increase in heat to happen in the first place?
According to the Associate Vice President of RAD Facilities, William Ward, the Hot Spot exists because of compromised steam pipes running underneath the campus. This causes hot steam and condensation to collect underneath the block of concrete nearby residence hall A. The phenomenon heats up the surface, making for a good place to cuddle with your boo or watch the clouds roll by (if you’re lonely).
There are still warnings and barriers set up around the affected area, to hopefully prevent students from getting near it when the heat rises, and the steam pressure has been lowered to the lowest possible level without losing student housing heat. (For once RAD isn’t giving residents the cold shoulder).
However, this solution is merely temporary. A more permanent solution will be employed when the weather heats up and heating student housing is no longer an issue. According to Ward, “The current Hot Spot near student housing was repaired in 2014. The reason for this Hot Spot area will be known once the area is opened to investigate the root cause of the excessive heat.” So it turns out this has happened before, and it appears that fixing it may require excavation of the affected area to investigate further; Don’t worry however about deadly, deadly steam, as pressure will be shut off before this happens.
The most famous Hot Spot is not the only one on campus. There is another similar locale behind the Costantino Recreation Center. That one is heavily cordoned off, but it seems the same underlying issue is causing both of them. On the bright side, these issues with compromised steam pipes are currently contained in the two previously mentioned areas for the time being. There should be no problems as long as you stay clear of those places — think of it as a chance to try a new route across campus, after all, you don’t want to be caught in the crossfire if the Hot Spot suddenly explodes (though this likely won’t happen). The conditions are constantly being monitored for any changes or abnormalities, but for the time being this is what we know. It appears that administration is doing all they can to fix this issue as soon as possible, but hopefully it won’t mean losing our beloved Hot Spot forever.
