CU Denver addresses piping issues at Campus Village

Vice Chancellor Raul Cardenas and Campus Village residents weigh in

**Campus Village residents relocated after flooding.**
Photo: Ayden Adair · The Sentry

On Feb. 8, an HVAC pipeline of glycol burst in Campus Village, flooding a common room, bathrooms, an elevator, and eight student suites. Students in the affected rooms are temporarily moved into a hotel until their rooms have been fixed, which is expected to be March 16. After years of pipeline issues, CU Denver is finalizing projects to fix all piping within Campus Village this summer.

Campus Village was acquired by CU Denver in 2006, costing the University $6,634,207 for land and $35,188,973 in building expenses to house 685 students. Campus Village was built with faulty piping, which has resulted in years of flooding and heating issues. CU Denver administration is fully aware of the piping issues and is currently working to address them.

“We’re redoing all of the piping in Campus Village,” Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Raul Cardenas said.

Last summer, the University began a six-month maintenance project to permanently fix the faulty piping at Campus Village Half of the project was completed, focusing on the pressing issues with the hopes of these fixes lasting a full school year. Instead, the glycol pipeline burst, and more heating issues returned.

The rooms damaged by the flood were primarily suites for residents who had lived at Campus Village in years prior. When temporary housing was arranged, all factors were considered by administration on how to best meet the needs of these affected students.

All damaged expensive goods, such as Xboxes, TVs, and cameras have been inventoried by administration and will be replaced.

“The hot water is out like 12 hours a day, the sinks don’t drain, and it floods twice a year,” Campus Village resident Cullan Gramlich said about the living conditions.

While these issues at Campus Village can be bothersome, certain students have a different perspective. For some, like three-year Campus Village resident Josie Woods, the pros of living on campus outweigh the occasional con.

“Some of the things happening at Campus Village are beyond the control of Campus Village,” Woods said. “They have faulty piping, and they’re getting it fixed, but that’s a huge process for a building of this size.”

With a building housing 685 students, issues are bound to occur. When they do, staff at Campus Village have worked promptly to address them, whether it’s the latest flood, fixing damaged washers and smoking dryers, as well as giving residents email warnings of when hot water will be turned off.

“It’s just a balance of what you personally can tolerate,” Woods said. “A lot of people like to complain. It’s a college dorm. I don’t know what you’re expecting.”

To show their appreciation for the patience of students during this time, CU Denver plans on hosting a welcome back get together for all Campus Village residents when students are able to return from their hotel within upcoming weeks. “I just want to get them back in their rooms and to have a normal functioning life,” Vice Chancellor Cardenas said.

Vice Chancellor Cardenas urges all students with concerns regarding Campus Village to contact him at raul.cardenas@ucdenver.edu so all input can be taken into account for ensuring the highest quality of life within Campus Village.