Legacy Hall residents are facing uncomfortable temperatures, and students are petitioning the school through Residence Hall Association.
“Part of the biggest issue is only going down to 70 degrees but the room never reaching that temperature. But maybe 65 degrees would be perfect,” Matthew Hubbard, mechanical engineering freshman, said.
The air conditioning goes from 70-74 degrees and according Kaytlyn Boyett, resident assistant and art junior, it’s locked onto that temperature.
“They’re not allowing free range. When I lived in Sunwatcher, we froze the air conditioning first week of summer. So because it’s such a big building, they’re keeping it under control that way. But it’s too high of a temperature so that’s why we’re already looking into getting it changed,” Boyett said.
Norma Ramirez, assistant director of residence life, explained that the air conditioning was set on a four-degree interval to save money.
“Whenever you have a building that size, if you have everyone all put it down to 60 degrees, that’s one, more expensive and two, it’s also not using our energy in the building the way it needs to be used. So it saves a little bit more energy if it’s higher,” Ramirez said.
Legacy has 492 residents.
According to Ramirez, the director and the architect team set the 4-degree interval was set by.
“I have 34 residents and as far as I know, the majority of them have [complained]. I’ve complained, other RA’s have complained, and there are other kinks in the building that are still getting worked out. It’s a new building but we’re working on it and we’re just trying to keep everyone comfortable and just reassuring them that it will be changed,” Boyett stated.
Hubbard stated he just wants the cap of the A/C to be lowered by five or 10 degrees and to have more variance so students would be more comfortable.
“Everywhere else pretty much on campus, you can vary it from a certain extreme to another extreme. Whereas in Legacy we’re all set at a four degree interval,” Ramirez said.
Boyett stated that most residents she asked want it to range around 67-71 degrees.
“Our staff right now has put it in the hands of RHA, and basically they’re our government for any changes within any aspects of housing. So if somebody wanted something done in Pierce, Killingsworth or the apartments, Trigg, anywhere else we would refer that to RHA. As far as I know, what they plan to do is to have a voting take place so that way students know they have the option to change it. So they’re trying to figure out what’s the best degree interval for the building,” Ramirez said.
Students are having to change their daily habits like using fans, opening windows, sleeping on top of their sheets instead of under a blanket. Students spend more time in the lower temperature lounges than in the rooms.
“It’s kind of forcing people to get out of their rooms and to interact with other people and to be outside. So in my eyes that’s not completely a bad thing,” Boyett said.
The petition will eventually be presented to the Kristi Schulte, director of housing and residence life. Schulte said she is working with RHA and together they will make the final decision.
“RHA is for the residents and one floor started the petition and then they brought it to the attention of RHA, so now housing is looking into RHA’s petition. Then they’ll send out the poll already deciding to change it,” Boyett said.
Ramirez said that it can be difficult to please everyone when it comes to things like temperature.
“It’s all personal preference. So like one student may like it super cold, while another student may like it super hot and so it’s kind of hard to gauge that for everyone,” Ramirez said.
Residents will soon have the opportunity to vote in the poll. The specific date the poll is coming out is unknown right now, but it should be out later in the week. The poll will have different four-degree interval options and residents will vote on which interval they prefer.
President of RHA Rachael Miyahara stated that the poll will be online and the links to the poll can be found on RHA’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The poll will be up for one week.
Staff members said they don’t know how soon this will be resolved. With recent temperature drops outside, the A/C might be a concern to some students with winter coming up, but not to Hubbard.
“For the most part I feel like it should hold up during the winter depending on how high they go up and depending on how hot people are going to want their rooms. Some people like it like a sauna, but me personally, I like it colder. So personally I feel like it should be able to hold up during the winter,” Hubbard said.
Hey #LegacyHall residents! Vote here for the desired temperature change you want in your dorm! #MWSU #MSU #MidwesternState #MWSURHA
— MWSU RHA (@MWSU_RHA_) October 4, 2016
