Heat Wave Forces Some Students out of Dorms
Video by Grace DeWitt
A massive heat wave in Los Angeles this week left some students at USC without a cool place to stay Monday night, as many on-campus residence halls lack air conditioning units.
These students feel that their dorm buildings have become unbearable during such an intense hot spell, as their once comfortable sanctuaries have turned into scorching hot saunas with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees all week.
Freshman Molleigh McCann lives in the air conditioner-lacking New/North Residential College, and said Monday that even having fans in the room “doesn’t really do much unless you’re directly in front of it 24/7.”
Many freshmen live in the six non-air conditioned residence halls around campus, as only the lucky few who reside in Fluor Tower, Webb Tower or any of the Parkside Residential College buildings benefit from individual A/C units in their rooms.
“[She] wishes the university could be a little more understanding of how many people this is affecting with all the different buildings and all the different dorms that don’t have air conditioning," said McCann. "It is really possible with the [intense heat] for people to get sick, or pass out.”
ATVN reached out to university officials for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Students will be happy to know that relief is coming soon, if only temporarily. Temperatures are projected to dip into the high 70s and low 80s over the weekend, only to ramp back up into the high 80s and low 90s next week, according to weather.com.
I love SC and graduated from there, but with all the money SC has and how much students pay I never understood why there were some dorms that didn't have air conditioning. SC is a very affluent school that is always getting money given to them. I feel like getting air condition put in those 6 dorm buildings wouldn't bankrupt the school. I think if many parents and students really put up complaints of some kind then the university would make a change. Students shouldn't have to be so hot in their dorm rooms, when they should be focusing on studying and not feeling uncomfortable. Luckily when i was there in 3 years of SC apartments/dorms I always had air conditioning. Also, I forget if students pay a different amount of money for which dorm they are in??? But, if they are all paying the same amount of money they should all have the basic things a dorm/ or apartment should have like heating/air conditioning in the rooms. I remember one of my friends dorm rooms didn't have air conditioning and when i visited her during the weeks were it was super hot out her dorm room felt like a freakin oven. I felt bad for my friend and let her sleep in my air conditioned dorm a few times since she lived near my dorm .