Lack of AC in many college dorms
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Anonymous
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Last week a university parent FB page I'm on had a freshman parent (alumni) wanting the university to do everything in it's power to retrofit all dorms with AC. Note: only ~50% of dorms have AC, most without are over 50 yo, so the cost to do so would be astronomical (those dorms have radiator heat, not forced air where AC could more easily be added) Parent actually thinks it would be a great use of donations to retrofit ALL dorms as "it is not fair that some kids get dorms with AC and others do not. For what we pay for this private university it's insane that we the kids don't have AC everywhere they go".
Note: University is in an area where AC is typically only needed for 2-3 weeks, at most 4 weeks in the fall. In Spring there might be a random day it would be nice, but most of April/May are typically in the 50/60, a good day is 70 and there is a nice breeze off the lake. So this is not Texas or Florida or Arizona. Everything except dorms are fully AC'd. So kids can visit the library, Student union, other friends in dorms with AC, gym, any academic building, etc if they really need AC. At night it typically cools into mid 60s or lower. Also note, that when kids move out of dorms for 3rd year and beyond, the majority of apartments and houses for rent do not have AC---maybe 25% do, and those cost significantly more. Thoughts? |
Anonymous
| I think it's ridiculous that people make such a big deal about this when it's only hot for a few weeks during the school year. |
Anonymous
| When my school closed because the temps were in the mid 20’s at bus pickup, I gave up. We have raised a nation of wimps. |
Anonymous
| I went to college in Connecticut. It would be dumb to retrofit for CAC there. It maybe would have been used two weeks. |
Anonymous
by wimpy parents |
Anonymous
What?! It's not only hot in CT two weeks a year. |
Anonymous
Can we stop with this? My kid was in an old dorm at UVA before they put in AC. She used to do dorm tours during Days on the Lawn. I remember her telling me that the parents always complained about Old Dorms, especially after seeing the new ones, and scoffed saying their kid would never live there. But the kids living in Old Dorms LOVED IT and my daughter was always so annoyed. The kids do not care. Stop blaming them when it's the parents. |
Anonymous
Yes but idiot college isn’t in session during the summer. You get there the very end of august and leave by mid May. |
Anonymous
NP, no need to call PP an idiot, jeez, but I run my AC April-October. There have been some dreadfully hot weeks in Fall and Spring. |
Anonymous
| I went to a college in the south that had many dorms without AC. It was horrible for multiple months of the year. I remember having headaches, not being able to sleep, just being gross and hot all the time. This was 15 years ago and they have since retrofitted their dorms with AC. If you're paying $50k a year for college, you shouldn't be sweating where you live. |
Anonymous
But students are only on campus for 9 months--typcially late August to mid may at most, unless quarter system. For summer school students housed on campus, most colleges do utilized the dorms with AC, and students are not "required" to live on campus. But for the regular school year, unless you are in the South (Texas, Florida, Arizona, etc) AC is only needed for 2-3 weeks. Fans and natural cooling at night work fine |
Anonymous
Then go somewhere with AC in all dorms. This is entirely within your control. |
Anonymous
Yeah it is gross. I went to school in Florida in a dorm without AC. Nearly everyone who got assigned that dorm ended up also paying for an apartment off campus. We needed AC March- November in Florida... at least. |
Anonymous
| I grew up in a northern climate and no one had AC, not at home or school. However, in VA there should be AC. It's getting hotter and muggier. I just got back from Europe where they also don't have AC and almost died in the heat wave. People were dropping like flies. Before judging entitled kids go try to get some sleep in 90 degree humid weather with a fan blowing more hot air onto you. |
Anonymous
Exactly!! My own kid (I'm OP) selected a 120 yo house to live in for the last 2 years---no AC and not possible to add a window unit easily. My kid didn't care--we always say what matters most is "Who you live with not where you live". DC wanted to be with friends and found what to them was the "perfect" house. Despite the fact I would have paid for the fancy, double the price, newest apartments with AC, they didn't want that, as their friends could not afford that. If kid complains it's hot, tell them to go visit the library for a few hours, it will be cooler when they come back to dorm 
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