Individuals are responsible for all personal items damaged in the hot water pipe breaks at Carman Hall.

Around 1 a.m. Saturday, open windows in near zero degree temperatures caused water line breaks on the third, fourth and sixth floors in the south tower of Carman.

The initial break happened on the fourth floor, followed next by the third floor and then the sixth floor, said Mark Hudson, director of University Housing and Dining Services.

The breaks caused damage in eleven rooms total, he said.

The breaks resulted from three open windows on a particularly cold night, Hudson said.

He said he spoke with staff from Facilities, Planning and Management, and they did find windows open.

A half-dozen building service workers were called in with addition to a number already on campus.

Hudson said 10 or 15 were working on Carman.

Hudson said there was no specific tabulation of the damage.

Individuals are responsible for their personal items damaged, he said.

He said he spoke with a few residents who had been affected, and they were working on finding out what their homeowner policies covered.

“It’s part of our students responsibility to have rent or homeowner’s insurance to cover (damage),” Hudson said.

Students are encouraged to get insurance, but, he said, a lot of times the family homeowner’s policy will cover students.

Students are responsible for covering all items damaged, except for their textbooks, Hudson said.

Housing is working with Textbook Rental Service and students with damaged books to get the books replaced.

Hudson said the majority of residents from damaged rooms are back in their rooms.

He said housing gave them the option to relocate, and some did while some only temporarily did.

Hudson said there were varying solutions with the residents – some stayed with friends, some moved temporarily – so it’s hard to tell if all residents have returned to their rooms.

Hudson said the temperatures in all buildings across campus are monitored constantly.

He said there is a heating and air conditioning staff that monitors the temperatures.

Hudson said the heating range for buildings varies from 68 to 72 degrees, plus or minus 2 degrees.

There are sensors that track the temps when get above range, the heating and air conditioning staff responds.

If the temperature drops below 68 degrees or rises above 72 degrees, the staff checks those temperatures out.

He said if someone reports a temperature problem, it’s dealt with.

Hudson said the work orders were checked, and there were no calls in for rooms too hot or too cold.

“There didn’t seem to be any indicators that there were problems there,” Hudson said.

Hudson said in his eight years here, he’s never had this many pipes freeze in one night.

“We continue to tell people to keep your windows closed,” he said.

He said he’s had frozen pipes here and there but not to that extent.

Emily Zulz can be reached at 581-7942 or at eazulz@eiu.edu.