‘I Feel Like I’m Dying’: As Heat Wave Hits EU, Schick Hall Residents Express Frustrations

Photo by Ian Murphy

The Bluejays’ first week back on campus was one of the hottest of the year, leaving some students desperate for a reprieve from the harsh weather. With three of the six dormitories on campus outfitted with no air conditioning, Bluejays flocked from the dorms and into the Frick Center for a decent night’s rest, leaving some questioning Elmhurst University’s infrastructure.

With temperatures nearing 100 degrees Fahrenheit within days of the start of the semester, many of the students in Schick Hall, EU’s largest and oldest dormitory on campus, had to find other sleeping arrangements due to the building’s lack of AC.

As a result of having no AC, the on-and-off heat has been hard on sophomore Maia Allsop, who has a heart condition. She even wanted to go on strike at one point.

“I think it’s stupid [to not have AC]. You are shoving a bunch of college students in a dorm, it’s hot, we’re all going to sweat, we all smell gross, and there’s no air conditioning? Do you know how much money I pay to go here? Do you know how expensive college is? I feel like it is kind of a need,” said Allsop.

The heat affects many aspects of life here at EU, leading to a potentially dangerous snowball effect. Students don’t get enough sleep because of the heat, which changes their mood and can lead to them not performing well in classes. The consequential effects of not having AC linger and make it difficult for students in all areas of campus life.

“If I am hot and sweaty I am not going to want to do anything and that’s really bad considering the fact that I just got here and I’m starting classes,” said freshman Jazmine Thomas.

Thomas imagined her first-ever week of college would be a relaxing time, but that reality was quickly shattered.

“I should not feel as if I can’t feel comfortable in my dorm room. I just want to be able to sit down and decompress. It’s my freshman year, and I’m going to have to be in that room for the rest of the year, I might as well get comfortable now but I can’t because I have no AC,” said Thomas.

“Building Hopping,” as junior Emma Wasilk calls it, is common among students who do not have AC in their rooms. “I have been in the library, Frick, Schaible, and Hammerschmidt just to find AC,” said Wasilk.

To help with the heat, and to give students the option of sleeping under AC, EU opened the Frick Center Founders Lounge to any student in the affected buildings. Thomas and Wasilk were two who took advantage of this, and although they enjoyed spending time with others struggling with the heat, there were also some disadvantages.

“When I was sleeping in Founders I would have to wake up early because there were a lot of people in Founders. They were kicking us out at 7 a.m., and we didn’t go to bed till midnight, 1 a.m., 2 a.m. sometimes, and then to wake up early again and start the day has really affected me, especially on the first week of school,” said Wasilk.

“Sleeping in Frick threw off the schedule,” Thomas agreed. “We didn’t need to be up that early in the morning. That messed up the way I thought I was going to have my schedule. The heat kind of just took over everything.”

Sleeping in a public space is hard for anyone, let alone students during a chaotic time in their year: the first week of classes.

“I am still trying to figure out my schedule, trying to figure out my classes and how to study and be a student, and then having to worry about having to sleep with other people and not in my room with no AC,” said Wasilk.

For Wasilk, a nursing major, the heat and not having AC has also affected her study habits. “Having to worry about where to study is not something I want to stress about, and when you sit down to study you are still hot and then you procrastinate and just play on your phone. I went to the library at 1 p.m today and didn’t start studying until 4 p.m.. A lot of time is wasted,” said Wasilk.

Students have come up with different ways to stay cool during the heatwave, including sophomore Grace Burgwaldt. “Every once in a while I will spray myself with water to cope with the heat,” said Burgwaldt.

Students wish they could use something other than fans to keep their rooms cool. Not only does Schick Hall not have central air, but personal AC units are banned.

“I would personally buy an air conditioning unit if I could, but we aren’t allowed,” lamented Burgwaldt.

Students imagine what it would be like if the heat wave did not exist at all, or if the dorms they lived in had AC.

“I think this week wouldn’t feel so long if we had AC. I feel like I wake up every morning just dying. I am more tired and more irritable, I do not want to go out, I do not want to walk to my classes,” said Burgwaldt.

The heat wave is hard for everyone on campus, but the students living in these air condition-less dorms argue that it shouldn’t have to be.

“I know we can’t control the weather,” said Burgwaldt, “but we can control if we have AC or not.”