Lack of AC in dorms is not a cool situation

The refrain “Hey. I pay $55,000 a year” has become a common joke among students at USC. We use it to justify, say, cramming seven extra pieces of fruit into our bags at EVK. For $55,000 a year, we should be able to hoard all the green bananas we please.

With similarly steep prices for on-campus housing, we should also be able to live in air-conditioned rooms.

While those living in the buildings Fluor Tower, Arts & Humanities and International Residential College at Parkside, Honors House, Seaver Residence Hall and, of course, Radisson Hotel have the blessing of central air conditioning, not all residents are so lucky.

All rooms in New/North residential colleges, Birnkrant, Trojan Hall, Pardee Tower, and the Marks buildings are AC-free. Trojan Hall doesn’t even have it in the lobby, making it the only residence hall completely at the mercy of the weather and whatever evaporative-cooler-type devices students can hide from the housing inspections.

Though it might seem trivial enough in winter, we in the dorms tend to be less forgiving of the situation when we’re sweating in front of our $19.99 Target fans come April and May — and, subsequently, most of the fall term.

Students living in eight of the off-campus apartment buildings are also without air conditioning, to say nothing of what the summer term residents endure; students don’t stay in the dorms over the summer, but only nine out of the 15 summer housing university apartment buildings are equipped with AC. Though, if it helps, a few of them have pools.

Still, there are some valid arguments for why the buildings are set up this way.

The Parkside Apartments were renovated only a few years ago, a perfect opportunity to introduce state-of-the-art AC. Dormitories such as those in northeast corner of campus are older, with antiquated air ducts and limited space; without the convenience of a ground-razing renovation process already on the table, tearing in to the dusty bowels of buildings like Trojan  Hall just isn’t worth the hassle. As it is, the only improvements scheduled for Trojan Hall any time soon are superficial ones for the bathrooms (thank goodness) and the locks on the doors.

To be fair, the disheartening lack of AC isn’t an issue limited to USC. College dorms across the country soldier on without it, prompting desperate students to resort to their own ingenuity. Lifehacker.com showcases a $30 homemade air conditioner, drawn up by “poor college students enduring summer school in an AC-less dorm.” Surely, we can do better than that.

Despite the sneers of UCLA-goers, USC does not, in fact, have a blank check to make whatever improvements strike its fancy. And with so much going on in the agenda of collegiate administration today, it’s understandable that dorm comfort can’t always be a top priority.

But there are certainly steps we could take to ensure that unsuspecting freshman don’t pass out at their desks while resolutely studying for September exams.

Wall-mounted, ductless air conditioners are quiet, space-efficient and — here’s the kicker ­­­— can be purchased for less than $550 a pop. That means a dorm the size of Trojan Hall could be completely air-conditioned for a little more than $60,000. Or, coincidentally, a little more than a single student’s yearly tuition.

At the very least, we could throw one in the lobby.

Moving down an even cheaper route, small plastic fans, like complimentary hotel shampoo, would be a nice touch that wouldn’t terribly inconvenience management. If we are provided with basics like plastic trash cans and microwaves, it’s not unreasonable or unaffordable (again, Target, $19.99) to also ask for a bit of ventilation.

Every dorm room on campus, and even the apartments, could be outfitted with one without breaking the proverbial bank. Let our housing fees ensure us, if not a new or particularly well-lit room, at least the civility of climate control.

We live in Southern California. To put it mildly, it gets hot. Air conditioning, though technically a luxury, is a reasonable expectation at an institution where the point is to constantly concentrate.

Hopefully, USC can soon set aside some money to make the AC-less dormitories and apartments feel less like summer camp.

Kastalia Medrano is a freshman majoring in print journalism.