San Joaquin Delta College’s Stockton campus remained mostly closed on Wednesday because of heating issues in many buildings, but limited student services remain open a few days before the spring semester begins.
Students were notified of the closure late Tuesday morning through a campus-wide email citing a “lack of heat in most Delta College buildings.” College spokesman Alex Breitler said on Wednesday the issue has been identified as leaks in the pipes of the central heating system.
College officials said the heating issue was first identified late last week. On Friday, employees were informed that a repair crew would arrive Monday to assess the problem and were advised to dress warmly due to uncertainty about building conditions.
By Monday, it became clear that heat would likely not be restored to a majority of campus buildings until at least Wednesday, with the DeRicco Building — which houses key student services — potentially without heat until Friday, according to Breitler.
Several buildings were unaffected by the outage, including the Child Development Center, the Center for Allied Microscopy Studies, the Police Services Building and the Cottage used by the campus market.
Space heaters were distributed in the DeRicco Building and made available to other employees upon request. However, at least one employee reported Tuesday morning that offices were colder than they had been the previous day, Breitler said.
“Certainly, we want everyone to be safe and comfortable while at work,” Breitler said.
Despite the closure, several student-facing services remained open. The Delta Connect Center in the DeRicco Building continued operating to assist students with admissions, financial aid and student ID services, according to the alert sent to students. Counseling appointments scheduled for Tuesday continued in person, and the campus bookstore remained open as students prepare for the semester.
College officials said the impact on instruction has been limited due to the academic calendar. The spring semester begins Friday, and most in-person classes are not scheduled to meet until next week.
“As the semester doesn’t start until Friday, and most in-person classes don’t begin until next week, we haven’t had to cancel any classes or move instruction online,” Breitler said.
The cause of the heating failure has not been confirmed.
The closure comes as Delta College prepares for long-term infrastructure improvements funded through Measure K, a $598 million facilities bond approved by voters in November 2024. However, as of fall 2025, no Measure K construction had begun on the Stockton, Mountain House, Lodi or Manteca campuses, according to prior reporting by The Collegian, Delta College’s student newspaper.
The first visible construction under the bond — large-scale replacement of several parking lots on the Stockton campus — is scheduled to begin in summer 2026. Delta has issued its first $41 million bond and is required to spend each issuance within three years, Vice President of Administrative Services Mike Banowetz reported.
Over the next 12 months, students can expect smaller improvements, including internal heating, ventilation and air conditioning work inside older buildings, technology cabling and preparatory activity in campus parking lots. Much of the HVAC work is expected to take place after hours or on weekends to reduce disruption, Banowetz said.
College officials said they are awaiting further updates from repair crews and will announce Wednesday’s campus status by Tuesday evening.
Students are encouraged to monitor official Delta College communications for updates as repair efforts continue.
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