TPO 33
Conversation1
Narrator
Listen to a conversation between a student and a university employee.
Student
Hi. I am a little lost. Um, is this the housing maintenance office?
Employee
You found it. How can I help you?
Student
Oh, good. I have a quick question. Are we allowed to keep electric heaters in our rooms?
Employee
Actually, you are not. What’s going on? Your room cold?
Student
It’s freezing in my room. I think the heat went out or something.
Employee
Are you sure it’s out? Maybe it just got turned out too far.
Student
Oh, no. I tried adjusting the, uh, the heat control, but it doesn’t make any difference. It’s so cold in my bedroom I can’t sleep at night. I’ve actually been sleeping on the sofa in the front room. The heat still works in there. Actually, we get hot air in all the bedrooms except ours.
Employee
Wow! Do you have a roommate?
Student
Yeah. But she said she isn’t bothered by the cold. But on the sofa, I am kept up by the noise out in the hall. The dorms can sometimes get pretty noisy. So what can be done about it?
Employee
Well, OK. There’s a couple of things we can do. I can have a custodian take a look at it and see if he can do something.
Student
Actually, I asked the custodian yesterday to take a look. But he said he couldn’t find anything wrong. He said that some of the other rooms have lost heat also and that if we’d come here you guys would fix it.
Employee
Oh, he did? That’s weird, because I would have…well, the custodians themselves are usually supposed to report any problems right away. OK. In that case, then what you need to do is…here, fill out this form.
Student
I have to fill out a form?
Employee
Yeah, but at least that’ll put your heater problem in a work order for the maintenance crew and they’ll get to you as soon as possible. Just so you know, because it’s not winter yet and it’s not as cold as it could be, it may take a few days for a maintenance crew to get to you.
Student
A few days? I can’t even sleep in my own room! Can’t we just get an electric heater?
Employee
I am sorry. But students just aren’t allowed. OK. I can see that this is a problem, and not just with your room. So if you can get the form back to me this afternoon, I’ll try to get a maintenance crew to look at your problem by tomorrow. How’s that?
Student
Oh, that would be great. Seriously. I have to take off now. But when I fill this form out, I give it to you, right?
Employee
Right. And if I am not here, just put it in my box and I’ll get it.