Cold temperatures in Old Main remain a mystery as students and faculty bundle up and wait for the problem to be solved.

Sandy Reeds, a secretary in the math department who calls in each complaint from students and faculty, said the temperature is so cold that students wear winter coats and gloves during class.

Stunningly enough, some faculty members even refuse to eat in the math department lounge while Reeds keeps a personal heater under her desk, exemplifying the severity of the problem.

Currently, the third floors in the east and west wings are most affected.

“Some days it’s absolutely freezing in here,” she said.

Carol Strode, director of Facilities, Planning and Management, said Wednesday she is unsure why the cold temperatures persist after preliminary tests have shown no problems with the heating system, but she has received 15 complaints since October from the mathematics department.

Strode said the heat is on in Old Main and her department has responded to each complaint, making sure that all radiators and fans were operating correctly. Special recorders were placed in problem rooms to record temperatures for 24 hours, but results also consistently showed the normal 68 degree temperature.

Strode said earlier tests have shown that fans are maintaining the right temperature, but adjustments or new parts may be needed to identify the heating problem. Tests on the fans will be finished at end of this week.

“When air isn’t circulating right it feels cooler than it actually is,” she said.

Depending on the weather, adjustment may need to be made to circulation systems to maintain them at a comfortable level. Fans in Old Main have to be adjusted manually, as opposed to newer buildings where adjustments can be done electronically, Strode said.

“If it’s not fixed we will go back over there to try again to make a comfortable temperature,” she said.

Allen Davis, acting director of the math department, said Wednesday he notices people responding to complaints, but he does not think that anyone is solving the long-term problem. He said he believes any warmer temperatures in the building after complaints are due to changes in the outside temperatures or wind direction.

“We really don’t get a direct response,” he said. “Sometimes a room will warm up for a day or two and then it will get cold again. It’s not consistent.”

Strode said cold wind temperatures do affect the temperature in Old Main because of the age of the building, but the problem may stem from a faulty circulation system that may not be blowing warm air like it should.

Davis said he only issues complaints when conditions are extreme, but many days his fingers are so cold he has trouble typing and has even avoided his office because of the frigid conditions.

Students who have classes on the third floor of Old Main are also adversely affected by the continuously cold temperatures.

As students walk up the stairway, they can feel the gust of cold wind and know that they will have to wear their coats that day, said Karen Moore, a senior elementary education major.

Students who have late afternoon class keep bundled with coats, gloves or wear layers and some said the inconvenience breaks their concentration.

Jill Hackler, a junior elementary education major, said she is disturbed because “everybody is looking around to see who still has gloves or coats on.”

“I just keep thinking about my freezing toes,” said Valerie Jany, a junior early childhood education major.