Professors canceled several classes in Tompkins Hall Wednesday morning due to an apparent problem with the building’s heating system.

While classes did not begin Wednesday until 10 a.m. because of the snow Tuesday, the temperatures inside the building were cold enough for some professors to cancel classes.

John Morillo, an associate English professor, said he noticed the cold temperatures as soon as he got inside Tompkins.

“When I came in at 9:30 a.m., the temperature on my floor in the secretary’s office was 47 degrees,” he said. “I’m pretty sure the warmest office was around 55 degrees.”

Morillo said he decided to cancel his 10:15 a.m. class because he didn’t want students to not focus because of the cold.

“Having sat in my office and being cold, I wouldn’t want to be in a seat as a student worried about how cold it is,” he said. “It made much more sense to send them on their way.”

Garden Freeman, a superintendent of maintenance for University Facilities, said Wednesday afternoon he was unaware of any problems with the heating system in Tompkins.

“It hasn’t been reported,” Freeman said. “I am not aware of any problems with the building not being heated.”

Morillo said he checked Caldwell Hall to see if he noticed any difference and to see if Cadlwell Hall and Winston Hall were impacted.

“I went next door to Caldwell Hall and there was heat in the lounge,” he said. “I went there to escape my own office.”

Freeman said the heating systems in Winston Hall, Caldwell Hall and Tompkins Hall are all fed from the same place.

“All three are on the basic same principle,” he said. “They are all fed from the same mechanical room. “If you were to have a catastrophic event down there, they would all quit working. But I haven’t heard on anything.”

Alavia Yahya, a junior in biological sciences, said her 10:15 a.m. class met as scheduled and did not get canceled.

Yahya said she could not tell that the temperature in Tompkins was colder than on a normal day.

“It felt kind of normal,” she said. “Everyone in that class was wearing jackets anyway so maybe you didn’t feel it.”

Elizabeth Mayton, a freshman in English, said her class at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday got canceled by the professor due to the heating problem.

Mayton said her professor canceled class via e-mail.

“The e-mail said that something was wrong with the heating system,” she said. “The professor said the cold would make it more difficult to focus in class.”

Mayton said she did not hear from other students that there was a problem with the heat.

“Class was canceled before I ever went up to the building,” she said. “I haven’t heard if it was actually that cold or not.”

Morillo said he noticed other classes in session when he left the building around 11 a.m.

“As I was heading out of the building there were classes going on,” he said. The south side of the building was kind of lucky because it got some reasonable solar heat.”

As of Wednesday evening, the emperature in Tompkins Hall was no colder than Caldwell Hall.

Freeman said any students or faculty should report any problems with heat or other Facilities problems as soon as possible.