Horrible dorm assignment!

[Anonymous]

(PP here - I did open the screen door but it wasn't enough without a cross breeze from the other window. Probably a safety concern to leave a basement window open.)

[Anonymous]

When I went to Georgetown in the stone ages (1989), St Mary's Hall didn't have air conditioning. I have asthma and I used that to make sure I didn't end up in that hall. That was legit way back then because asthma meds sucked, and the doc had also instructed my parents to get a wall unit in my bedroom at home (we didn't have central air on Long Island back then).

[Anonymous]

OP, your child will be able to easily socialize with other kids in the dorm.

here's a benefit that you may not wish to care about but it's real - if she's dating someone, there will be no issue of the lack of privacy in her room. I had that benefit for pat of my freshman year (when my then roommate dropped out) and it was such an unexpected blessing.

[Anonymous]

The best part in all of this? It's highly, highly likely that there is an illegal immigrant enrolled at that college, paying in state tuition, and with a much better room.

Meanwhile, OP has been paying federal income taxes for probably 5 decades and her kid gets the shaft.

Isn't California so edgey!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best part in all of this? It's highly, highly likely that there is an illegal immigrant enrolled at that college, paying in state tuition, and with a much better room.

Meanwhile, OP has been paying federal income taxes for probably 5 decades and her kid gets the shaft.

Isn't California so edgey!!!!

That was my first thought when my kid was placed in an un-air conditioned room at UMD last school year.

[Anonymous]

^^^Yup I’m sure that’s the case!!

[Anonymous]

I love how this thread has become a fiction writer's workshop!

Let's keep the plot ideas flowing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, let me tell you about the epic saga of Jackson, the Pomona College student who endured the harrowing ordeal of surviving an entire school year without air conditioning, armed with nothing but a $39 fan. This tale of sheer grit and unyielding perseverance has already been etched into the annals of heroic legend.

First, let's establish the scene. Jackson, a paragon of modern luxury and entitlement, found himself marooned in a Pomona College dorm room—a place where one might expect to encounter creature comforts such as, oh, I don’t know, air conditioning. But no, Jackson’s room was deprived of this basic necessity. As if fate itself had conspired against him, the air conditioning unit was nowhere to be found. Instead, he was left with only a $39 fan, a device so basic it might as well have been powered by steam engines and staffed by the ghosts of Victorian servants.

Picture the drama. Jackson, a brave soul of the 21st century, was forced to confront the cruel, unrelenting heat of the Pomona Valley. This was not just any heat; this was the kind of heat that turns asphalt into molten lava and makes one wonder if the sun has declared a personal vendetta. But Jackson didn’t back down. No, he faced it with nothing but a humble fan and an unwavering spirit, like a knight with a squirt gun fighting off a dragon.

Let’s talk about that fan. Oh, the $39 fan—a masterpiece of modern engineering. One might be tempted to believe it’s a relic from a bygone era of fan technology, but no. This was Jackson’s lifeline. It oscillated with a grace that could only be described as “moderately effective.” Its ability to circulate air was akin to asking a whiff of perfume to clear the stench of a dumpster fire. Yet, Jackson, ever the optimist, was convinced this fan was his salvation.

Now, if you think Jackson was just a bit of a drama queen, you clearly underestimate the psychological warfare of living without air conditioning. Every evening, as the mercury climbed and the sweat beads glistened on his brow, Jackson had to confront the reality that his fan, bless its modest blades, could only do so much. One might have heard him whisper, “It’s fine, it’s fine,” as he endured the sweltering conditions that would make even the most seasoned desert traveler weep.

Jackson’s fortitude did not go unnoticed. He became something of a campus legend—a symbol of human endurance. Students gathered to hear his tales of survival, hanging on every word as he recounted how he spent hours in the library, using its blessed air conditioning as an escape from his room’s infernal heat. They marveled at his resilience, at his ability to function while exuding the very essence of what it means to be a Pomona College student—overcoming obstacles with nothing but determination and, in this case, a glorified plastic whirlwind.

So here’s to Jackson—the hero of our time, the martyr of the modern age. Let his story be a reminder that while some may complain about their air-conditioned rooms and state-of-the-art gadgets, true courage lies in enduring the trials of a $39 fan. Indeed, Jackson’s triumph over the heat is a lesson in perseverance, a testament to human willpower, and an ever-relevant tale of how even the smallest inconveniences can be transformed into grand, heroic epics.

Ah yes, more of the nothing can be wrong with Pomona, there must be something wrong with OP’s kid.

Well at least my kid turned down Pomona for a non-air-conditioned dorm room in the Northeast. lol I didn't have AC in my Freshmen dorm in VA. The box fan was a delight.

[Anonymous]

To be fair, Pomona isn't on the coast. I was hot in San Diego (much cooler climate) this week without AC.

[Anonymous]

How does a school like Pomona with a fuggin three BILLION dollar endowment not manage not put AC in all its dorms? High Point has significantly less money and more students to spend its money on, but it makes sure all of its students have comfortable living arrangements.

[Anonymous]

I toured a number of colleges in CA two years ago and there always a parent asking whether the dorms were air conditioned. I thought it was crazy but with global warming, maybe not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How does a school like Pomona with a fuggin three BILLION dollar endowment not manage not put AC in all its dorms? High Point has significantly less money and more students to spend its money on, but it makes sure all of its students have comfortable living arrangements.

Something tells me they put it into their superior faculty, research, and opportunities for students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best part in all of this? It's highly, highly likely that there is an illegal immigrant enrolled at that college, paying in state tuition, and with a much better room.

Meanwhile, OP has been paying federal income taxes for probably 5 decades and her kid gets the shaft.

Isn't California so edgey!!!!

If it's Pomona, there is no in state tuition! Everyone gets to pay $92,000! So at least your proposed illegal immigrant is wealthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How does a school like Pomona with a fuggin three BILLION dollar endowment not manage not put AC in all its dorms? High Point has significantly less money and more students to spend its money on, but it makes sure all of its students have comfortable living arrangements.

Priorities. Schools that skimp on actual education have more left over to spend on amenities. Plus High Point is in a mountain of debt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best part in all of this? It's highly, highly likely that there is an illegal immigrant enrolled at that college, paying in state tuition, and with a much better room.

Meanwhile, OP has been paying federal income taxes for probably 5 decades and her kid gets the shaft.

Isn't California so edgey!!!!

You're saying: another student who paid tuition may or may not have gotten a better room. Wow mind blown.