Howard University classes postponed until Jan. 16 for boiler issues, ruptured pipes

WASHINGTON - There are approximately 300 students in residence halls impacted by pipe and boiler issues at Howard University, as the school announces that several classes will be postponed an additional week. They will now begin on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

The affected classes include those in the Undergraduate Schools and Colleges, (Arts & Sciences, Business, Communications, Education, Engineering & Architecture, Nursing & Allied Health Sciences), Social Work, and the Graduate School.

Howard says that classes for Professional Schools and Colleges (Divinity, Law, Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy) will begin as scheduled on Monday, Jan. 8.

The college says, the University itself will be open for business and residence halls are open and accepting students.

However, Howard Plaza West Tower, Frazier Hall and College Hall South are affected by the issues. The University says provisions are being made available as long as needed. They say emergency blankets and hand warmers have also been given to occupants of these residence halls.

A variety of activities are planned for students across all residence halls, including games, pizza parties, and movies. Coffee, hot chocolate and tea service is also being provided.

The University says a temporary boiler will be in place Sunday night and all building heating conditions will improve as steam is transported to all campus buildings over the course of the night.

Classes at Howard were not supposed to start until Monday, but university officials said they had been experiencing boiler issues and ruptured steam pipes on campus, which is causing many of the buildings, including the on-campus residence halls, to be cold in light of the freezing weather the D.C. area has been experiencing.

Howard University Vice President of Student Affairs Kenneth Holmes initially sent an email to students saying the campus will be closed on Thursday and Friday due to the cold weather and winter storm.

The school announced on Saturday it will postpone classes until Jan. 16.

"The delay in starting classes is a result of significant damage to many buildings across campus caused by the record cold temperatures experienced in the region. Howard University learned Saturday evening that the damage from ruptured pipes and electrical outages will take several days to fix and require significant repair."

Officials said students with any questions can check online, or contact their resident hall manager or the Residence Life main office at 202-806-6131.