Students are not the only ones blowing off a little steam this time of the semester.

The cloudy material that is coming out of the ground in the barricaded area outside of Bobet Hall is nothing more than steam. Paul Fleming, director of the physical plant, said that the staff is trying to determine whether or not there is a crack in the outer casing of the heating pipe’s layer of insulation.

“This is not the first time that this has happened. We found one crack on the end by the chapel. If this is the case, repairs are needed,” Fleming said.

Fleming explained that the line for heating the building comes from the central plant and that the layer of insulation around the pipe may be cracked.

The steam coming out of the ground is due to ground water coming into contact with the heating pipe and producing steam.

The steam has produced an air of curiosity around campus.

Lauren Card, communications junior, said she first noticed the steam smoldering around the grassy area on the far side of Bobet about a week ago, and she wondered if the situation was hazardous.

Haechon Kim, general business sophomore, said that although the site does not appear to be dangerous, it does not look good.

“It looks like a volcano erupting out of the ground,” Kim said.

Anita Oubre can be reached at [email protected].