What are the consequences?

    There is no lack of students on the record for saying the AC shortcomings are detrimental to their lifestyles. The Diamondback has written at least two major articles in recent years, including a heat sensor study. According to the Diamondback, reporters placed heat and humidity sensors in every dormitory building that did not have an AC system. Of these eight dorms, only Ellicott, Hagerstown, and Carroll Hall had average temperatures below 80 degrees Fahrenheit from September 6-14. However, every dorm had a heat index (according to the article, a calculation of what a room "feels" like based on both temperature and humidity) above 80 degrees. This ranged from 73 to 101 degrees. To put that into perspective, 104 degrees is the body temperature that can induce a heat stroke.

    My intent isn't to instill fear into students with regards to their temperature-related health, however this is an issue that must be addressed. There's more to the article than data, too. It's easy to record some numbers and claim it's an issue, but students also went on the record and explained how these temperature issues impact their schoolwork. If you haven't forgotten, these dorms are on the campus of one of the most renowned public academic facilities in the US. As the article reports, several students have totally given up studying in their rooms due to the cooling issues. Additionally, one student attempted to study in the Wicomico Hall lounge. However, this is not a perfect solution, because apparently the number of people in the room can make studying difficult. Based on the housing information, Wicomico can accommodate about 162 people during a typical year. There is only one lounge, based on the floor plans.

    Three of those buildings without AC weren't even intended to be in use by Fall 2021, according to a statement in Resident Life's Housing Strategic Plan. Of course, COVID has rendered most of the buildings on campus at about half capacity due to the lack of roommates, so the university needs every building available to accommodate all the on-campus students. Apparently, this number was pretty high during the housing registration period for the 2021-2022 academic year. Unlike the previous year, I heard a number of reports of students who applied for housing and just couldn't get it. As COVID winds down, it seems students are becoming more inclined to move onto campus. Unfortunately, the actual housing situation hasn't changed much, so lower priority students (which appear to generally be sophomores and juniors) must use these housing options with poor AC systems and surreally high temperatures.

     Students aren't the only people on-campus affected by the lack of AC. Housekeepers have also found work difficult in these kinds of conditions. Another article by the Diamondback reports a series of stories from housekeepers in which shutting off the AC to limit moisture development aggravated asthma symptoms. UMD had a public controversy when a student exposed to mold fell ill and died. The mold didn't cause this; she had an existing health condition and contracted adenovirus, but in order to soothe PR the university installed dehumidifiers and periodically shut off AC to prevent moisture. This is to prevent mold from developing, but also presents a serious issue for housekeepers with asthma aggravated by high temperatures.

    Considering the effects of high dorm temperatures on both students and campus employees, it's no wonder that the university intended to revitalize AC in out-of-date dorm buildings. However, they have not done so. Several new dorm buildings are under construction on campus; large ones, too. Instead of worrying about constructing new facilities for potential students, the university should prioritize the students who are already on campus. AC seems like such a menial issue, but it can have a serious impact on the health and study habits of students, which is a big deal for an academic institution whose departments tend to pride themselves on being difficult.

Sources:

“Adenovirus Death: Father Says Dorm Mold ‘Didn't Help’ Ill Daughter.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 22 Nov. 2018, www.cbsnews.com/news/university-of-maryland-adenovirus-death-students-dorm-may-have-had-mold/.

Aubert/ABC7, Amy. “Heat Wave Brings Stifling Temperatures to Dorms without Air-           Conditioning.” WJLA, WJLA, 29 Aug. 2018, wjla.com/news/local/university-of-maryland-dorms-without-air-conditioning-ac.

“Heatstroke.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research,a 18 Aug. 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-stroke/symptoms-causes/syc-20353581.

“UMD Shut off AC in Many Dorms to Combat Moisture. Housekeepers Are Falling Ill without It.” The Diamondback, 27 Aug. 2020, dbknews.com/2020/07/08/umd-college-park-housekeepers-employees-are-falling-ill-after-umd-shut-off-hvac-systems-in-19-campus-buildings-mold-afscme/.

“We Placed Heat Sensors in Every UMD Dorm without A.C. Here's What We Found.” The Diamondback, 27 Aug. 2020, dbknews.com/2019/10/07/umd-dorms-air-conditioning-heat-sensor-temperature-hot/.