Some students living in non-air-conditioned dorms have resorted to sleeping in lounges and other students’ rooms to escape the heat.
As temperatures in Westwood climbed as high as 101 degrees this week, dozens of students living in non-air-conditioned dorms – including Dykstra Hall, Hedrick Hall, Rieber Hall, Sproul Hall, Hitch Suites and Saxon Suites – sought refuge elsewhere.
The De Neve Plaza room and common areas in the first floors of Sproul, Hedrick and Rieber Halls will be air-conditioned during the heatwave, UCLA Housing said in a Monday email to students.
A Dykstra Hall resident assistant, who was granted anonymity for fear of retaliation from the university, said he has seen students sleeping on chairs in the lobby or the Magnolia Meditation Room, which is typically used for prayer and meditation.
Common areas in dorms are primarily study areas, and all other uses require approval and sponsorship from the appropriate association, council or Residential Life, according to the On Campus Housing Regulations website. Residents living in dorms are required to abide by these regulations, and violations jeopardize residents’ housing contracts and could result in university sanctions, the website said.
UCLA Housing said in an emailed statement that students experiencing discomfort should spend time in air-conditioned areas within their dorm buildings, stay hydrated and use fans to improve air circulation. Residents can also open windows to increase airflow, UCLA Housing added in the statement. The RA said he sent out a survey that asked students to take pictures of the thermostat reading in their rooms with timestamps and note which side of the building they lived on. Many students were living in rooms that were up to 92 degrees, he added.
The RA said he hopes raising awareness about these living conditions will prompt the university to fix the temporary portable air conditioning units in the lounges.
[Related: ‘Sweating bullets’: UCLA students struggle as campus temperatures rise]
Another Dykstra Hall RA, who was granted anonymity for fear of retaliation from the university, said some students have been sleeping in their friends’ air-conditioned dorm rooms because it is cooler than spending the night in their own rooms.
“I’m never in my room just because it’s so hot, and it’s so difficult to function in there,” she said. “I always have to find somewhere else to go.”
The temperature inside her room reached 99 degrees last week, making it uncomfortable to sleep for more than a few hours, the RA added.
“My friend recommended to me that I sleep with an ice pack on my head, so I tried that last night,” said Avani Athavale, a second-year computational biology student who lives in Dykstra Hall. “It worked. It helped me fall asleep a little faster.”
The RA said she has offered support and advice to students who are concerned about the heat wave, but she feels overwhelmed by the number of complaints she has received and is unsure about how to address them all.
However, she added that she encourages students to voice their concerns during the heat wave – regardless of where they live – to pressure UCLA to enact change.
“It’s definitely not what we sign up for and what we pay for and what we expect when we come to school here,” she said. “We expect a little bit of a better condition to be living in and learning in.”
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