Baker Hall is one of many dorms on Ohio State’s campus that does not have AC. Credit: Lantern File Photo
There are usually a handful of dreaded dorm assignments when housing applications open, but few compare to those that lack air conditioning.
There are seven residence halls on campus without air conditioning: Baker Hall East and West, Canfield Hall, Mack Hall, Bradley Hall, Mendoza Hall and Paterson Hall. All the other 30-some new or renovated dorms have air conditioning.
“These are older buildings that were not designed, when first built, to accommodate air conditioning,” Dave Isaacs, communications and media relations manager for Student Life, said.
Baker and Canfield halls were built in 1940; Mack was built in 1923 and Bradley in 1955. Issacs said the halls must be remodeled completely and “retrofitted” before air conditioning units can be installed.
Zara Haque, a first-year in finance, was assigned to a dorm without air conditioning when housing decisions were released in August. To prepare, she and her roommate bought five fans and a box fan, which they strategically placed around the quad to promote airflow.
Despite this, Haque described the dorm as so hot she couldn’t sleep or study. The heat was especially bad during the first few weeks of the school year, and she “even considered sleeping in the [air-conditioned] lobby,” she said.
“It is not logical to have a dorm with no AC when your house is supposed to be comfortable and where you spend most of your time,” Haque said.
If Ohio State were to add air conditioning to the buildings, Isaacs said the dorms would have to be fully shut down during the construction process. Ohio State does not have the capacity to close halls during the school year, so construction work must be condensed over the summer.
Since the school year only overlaps with summer heat for a few weeks, students often find it a fair trade for the price break, Isaacs said. Efforts have been taken to ensure as much comfort as possible, including hallways built with increased airflow and vents on the doors.
In the past few years, Ohio State embarked on the special project of installing air conditioning units in the lobbies of every hall. Isaacs said this task did not require a full building shutdown, making it a more feasible and immediate option than installing wide-scale air conditioning.
Due to her quad’s shared bathroom, Haque’s dorm is considered “Rate 2″ through Ohio State’s housing process. The university has four main types of rates: Rate 1, which runs students $4,899 a semester, Rate 2 at $4,081, Rate 2A at $3,951 and Rate 3 at $3,815 per semester.
A definite timeline for air conditioning installation was not provided, however, Isaacs said they would “hopefully move forward now that the pandemic is over.”
“We are working towards air conditioning, yet our progress was impacted by COVID,” Isaacs said.
