With the wind chill dropping temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit yesterday, both students and the campus itself are trying to cope with the cold.

Sunday night's overnight low of 1 below zero is expected be the lowest of the week, but temperatures are expected to stay at about 15 degrees below the annual average, Campus Weather Service station manager Bill Syrett said.

The average low for this time of year is 17 degrees, and the average high is 33 degrees, Syrett added.

Calling the weather an "out of the ordinary cold snap," Paul Ruskin, communications coordinator for The Office of Physical Plant (OPP), said there have been reports of a broken heating system in sections of the Burrowes Building and freezing and leaking pipes in a maintenance building near Eastview Terrace.

OPP expected problems, Ruskin said.

Yearly planning for upcoming winters and snow control began in August, and an emergency meeting was called on Wednesday.

"We're in charge of operating a small city," he said.

Kermit Tressler, an OPP supervisor, said OPP is as prepared as it can be and it relies on reports of malfunctions from students.

"We've got to know about [problems]," he said.

"I don't care if we get 10 phone calls about a problem."

Buildings on campus are controlled by one of the largest remote controlled building systems and will alert OPP when temperatures drop, Ruskin said.

"Hundreds and hundreds" of alarms have gone off recently, he said.

Ruskin said there have not been significant failures, and OPP does not expect to shut down any buildings. "I'd see no reason for anyone to have extreme fears at this point," Tressler said.

However, Ruskin said when temperatures drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, salt used on the paths ceases to work, though OPP normally keeps 100 tons of salt on hand.

"Normally when temperatures drop below 20 degrees, [it is important] to be very careful when walking around campus," he said.

OPP has employed 17 heat and vent technicians, 15 of which are working overtime, said Theresa Maher, staff assistant and emergency maintenance dispatcher for OPP.

"I've certainly had a number [of calls]," Maher said. "There are times when things unexpected have happened."

Students should be advised to dress according to the weather, Ruskin said, and to wear appropriate footwear.

"Exposed skin can freeze within minutes," Syrett said.

Some students said the cold has negatively affected their class attendance.

"The only way you can get me to go to class is if I have a ride," South Halls resident Sam Hill (sophomore-marketing) said.

Lindsay Reardon (junior-biology) said she has noticed attendance in her classes yesterday was lower than normal.

"The only way I go to class is with a coffee in my hands," she said.

John Livia (senior-finance) said the cold usually just affects him in the morning when he is trying to get up for class.

He said that attendance in his 8 a.m. class yesterday was about average.

Ruskin added OPP is not able to prevent all problems in buildings.

"You have to expect Jack Frost to be active at least once a year," Ruskin said.