All dorms should have air conditioning for the well-being of Central Connecticut State University students.
According to National Public Radio, research found that extreme heat can slow cognition and increase anxiety.
NPR said researchers in Boston studied young adults living in college dorms during a heat wave a few summers ago. Some of them had central AC and slept at a cool 71 degrees Fahrenheit. Others slept in rooms without AC, where the temperature hovered around 80 degrees.
For nearly two weeks, the students took a few tests administered on their cellphones each morning, NPR said. The people who slept in the hotter dorms performed measurably worse on the tests, NPR said.
Barrows Hall resident Kate Pinney said it is unbearable some days, especially at the beginning of the school year.
“When I heard that it didn’t have AC, I thought maybe this wouldn’t be so bad,” Pinney said. “I was wrong. So very wrong.”
Pinney said she has trouble sleeping which can impact one’s physical, emotional, and mental health. She said this can worsen how someone performs academically.
“I think it should be a priority when it comes to the student’s health,” Pinney said.
Barrows Hall and Vance Hall are the two residence halls that do not have AC.
Pinney said this is unfair to students living in these dorms. She said she wants to stay in an all-female dorm where she feels safer.
Jim Grupp, director of facilities management at CCSU, said it was not typical to put AC in resident halls back when they were built.
Grupp said it was an unusually bad week and AC is not needed in resident halls from September to May.
“They have not floated to the top of our project priority list,” Grupp said.
He said this project is difficult, time-consuming, and costly. He said facilities can only recommend students open their windows.
“Each building would be millions of dollars to make that happen,” Grupp said.
Vance Hall resident Logan Crutchfield said on Instagram that his dorm room is 90 degrees on average during the day and night. (@gaminggunneryt)
Crutchfield said the only step CCSU has taken was to give out 200 fans posted on social media for marketing purposes.
Grupp said he thought giving out fans was a great idea, but Pinney said this effort from the university did not measure up.
“When are they actually going to do something?” Pinney said. “It’s kind of disheartening.”
