Author: Chloe Jenkins-Sleczkowski
The ice cream freezer in the Cooler, which has been dormant nearly all semester, will remain empty for at least the next couple of weeks, according to Cooler General Manager Michael Starec.
The display freezer, which normally houses tubs of Fosselman’s Ice Cream, has been empty since the first week of school. According to Starec, this freezer has a history of causing problems. “We’ve determined that this particular ice cream freezer is about 12 years old,” he said. “It’s been pretty much trouble-free until the last couple of years, where we’ve had a lot of problems maintaining the proper temperature for the ice cream.”
Over summer break, the display freezer was completely shut down for three months, along with the rest of the Cooler. But, when the Cooler reopened in the fall, the machine had problems running again. “The very first day we displayed the ice cream it started melting almost immediately,” said Starec. “[The freezer] was producing refrigeration, but not to the level that would keep the consistency of the ice cream.” As a result, the ice cream was not cold enough to serve the following day.
When the refrigeration contractors came in to repair the freezer, they tried to find the location of the leak that was presumably releasing the coolant, which was changing the pressure within and causing improper functioning of the machine. However, the repair crews could not fix the freezer right away.
“They determined that there must be a leak somewhere within the internal components of the walls of the freezer which they cannot access,” Starec said. “The machine is basically dead; it’s beyond repair.”
The only solution is to replace the entire freezer unit, and the replacement could take weeks or months to locate and install. “It’s just a matter of finding the right piece of equipment to replace it because it has to be the same size as what we have right now,” said Starec. The new freezer must fit into the counter in exactly the same way as the current broken one. The refrigeration contractors are researching for a replacement freezer that will fit the school’s budget, conform to the physical restraints and be relatively maintenance-free.
The Cooler staff is committed to find a replacement unit as soon as possible in order to serve ice cream again. “It’s an important part of our menu,” Starec said.
“People come up to us a lot and ask what the situation is,” said Cooler employee Seth Hansen (junior). “The milkshakes are extremely popular here. I’ve had people come in and try to make fro-yo milkshakes, which are kind of an OK substitute, but it’s not the same.”
Cooler employee Giulia Felsher (senior) echoed these sentiments. “A lot of people ask about it and are disappointed when they find out that it’s not there,” she said. “We still have the frozen yogurt, which is not the same, but it is a good alternative.”
Starec did not know when the new freezer will be arriving. “Once they find the piece of equipment it could be a couple of weeks until they can install it,” he said. “Certainly I would imagine that it would be done before the end of the semester. That would probably be a more realistic expectation.”
“But I need the cappuccino crunch ice cream to get me through the semester!” said Vickie Nguyen (senior).
In the interim, Oxy students can satisfy their ice cream cravings with soft-serve frozen yogurt or the packaged ice cream in the Cooler.
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.