ROCHESTER, Mich. (WXYZ) — Oakland University students are facing disruptions as heating problems persist across multiple buildings, with a newly discovered third leak impacting repairs.
Since late November, many buildings on campus have had only partial heat as the school works to fix leaks in its hot water pipe system. The repairs were expected to be completed on Thursday, Dec. 11, but the discovery of a third leak this week appears to have delayed that timeline.
Watch Demetrios Sanders' video report below:
"It's been pretty stressful these past few weeks," said Nathyn Popoff, an Oakland University student.
Due to his dorm being one of the buildings experiencing reduced heat, Popoff is now commuting from Milford for classes he needs to attend in person.
"It's about a 45-minute drive to an hour, probably more than an hour in this weather now," Popoff said.
The heating problems are affecting not just how students get to campus but also where they need to go for their finals.
"I've been having issues with just my finals. They've been moved around a lot. So it's hard to keep track of where I'm supposed to go for my finals because it's completely different than initially planned," said Benedict Brenner, another Oakland University student.
The university acknowledged the ongoing issues, writing "Many buildings on campus continue to have only partial heat, and modified university operations will remain necessary until further notice."
The school continued, "The community is also advised that the university is executing plans to ensure that the campus is fully open and operational for the Winter 2026 semester."
For students dealing with the disruptions, the situation raises concerns about the future.
"Will this same pipe have any issues in the future? Will we be forced to leave the campus? I don't want that to happen to anyone," Popoff said.
Watch our Nov. 20 coverage when the university was set to close for 10 days for repairs:
"I'm just really worried things aren't going to fixed by next semester," Brenner said.
Despite the ongoing challenges, students remain hopeful that the issues will be resolved soon and campus life will return to normal.
"I hope that this is the end of the problems that the university faces, at least in term of the heating," Popoff said.
Oakland University has assured students that upcoming commencement ceremonies will proceed as planned despite the heating issues. Staff and faculty have also been encouraged to remote work when possible.
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