This thermostat in the Howard B. Fitzpatrick Pavilion cannot control the temperature in the classroom since it is part of the centralized heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. 

This thermostat in the Howard B. Fitzpatrick Pavilion cannot control the temperature in the classroom since it is part of the centralized heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. 

California is going through a record-breaking heat wave at the moment — and students at LMU are feeling it. Unless you are one of the lucky few residing in Rains Hall, McCarthy Hall, Palm North or Palm South, chances are you have been waking up every morning in a puddle of your own sweat.

Yet, on campus, you can spot students carrying around thick hoodies in the 85 degree weather. The reason behind this phenomenon of out-of-season winter clothes is the incredibly frigid classrooms on campus that require you to layer up as you take a class. Nowadays, I see most of my classmates lugging around a jacket or a warm hoodie on the daily, making these items a classroom essential. When you forget to bring one — especially to your three-hour class, as I have often done — well, good luck.

“I think it’s really nice that [the] A/C is on, but at the same time, it’s such a big difference between being outside and inside. Even though it's really hot outside, I have to carry a jacket around which is not the best thing ever," said Guadalupe Fernandez Perez, a sophomore recording arts major.

When the temperature in the room gets too low, the no-brainer action is to turn down the air conditioning by controlling the thermostat. However, in most buildings at LMU, such as University Hall, the William H. Hannon Library and the Howard B. Fitzpatrick Pavilion, the centralized heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system used means that we are unable to individually control the temperature of any singular classroom.

“Not all buildings are controlled nor constructed in the same fashion. Some of our buildings are built with local pneumatic controls, meaning the thermostat controls the amount of air supplied to the space. Other buildings on campus operate under local control thermostats to the rooftop HVAC unit,” said Freddie Armijo, director of maintenance and infrastructure of Facilities Management, explaining how the air conditioning system works at LMU.

Beyond the minor inconvenience of having to carry around a sweater, the constant low temperature can create a more negative effect on ourselves and our infrastructure than we realize.

"My information business class this morning was pretty hot … [but] usually, my next accounting class is really, really chilly, so it really depends,” said sophomore entrepreneurship major, Senan Otsuka, recounting his day with a hoodie tied around his neck. “Some people are going to get sick from it because the temperature outside is smoking hot, then you go into a classroom and it's freaking cold and your body is not going to be able to manage the temperature difference.”

Otsuka has a point. Since humans are warm-blooded animals and are naturally wired to keep our body temperature at around 98 degrees Fahrenheit, whenever we go from the sweltering heat to a cold environment, the body does everything it can to protect itself. Cooling down for too long under the air conditioning in your sweaty clothes brings down your core temperature, making you susceptible to catching a cold. The transition from extreme heat to cold can harm the lungs, leading you to be vulnerable to respiratory illnesses.

On top of this, the constant blast of cold air in all of the buildings is not the friendliest to our infrastructure. In fact, the heat wave almost broke California’s electric grid on Sept. 6, when electricity usage in the state reached 52 gigawatts — surpassing the highest record that stood since 2006. We are on the verge of a blackout as our power grid remains strained. Since then, a Flex Alert remained in place in California for nine days, which calls for “consumers to voluntarily conserve electricity” in order to prevent a statewide power outage as the heat wave continues.

As for what we can do to deal with these cold classrooms right now, unfortunately, it is not an option to shift to a system in which students can control the thermostat.

“Due to the sensitivity of the thermostats, we do limit individuals from making drastic adjustments. Too many adjustments can cause the thermostats to become out of calibration, which could lead to multiple failures with our HVAC operating systems.” Armijo explained.

Otsuka reminisces about his home country, Japan, and wishes that LMU had a better system as a long-term solution. “I wish it was more automated. In Asia, it's really hot, so the technology is [that] if the machine senses that it's hot, it’ll automatically cool down; if it's too cold, it'll automatically heat up. But here, everything is manual," he said. "So, if it's too cold you have to manually change it and stuff, so if the technology was [a] bit better — because I’m sure the technology is there — [then] I think that would be great.”

For now, our best bet is to continue carrying around sweaters and jackets to keep warm in class and try to show up early, in order to have enough time to cool down in the shade before going inside. If the cold is getting to you, you can always contact Facilities Management for assistance. Call Facilities Management, Quality Assurance at 310-338-7779 or email Quality@lmu.edu for any temperature or comfort-related concerns.

This is the opinion of Yukana Inoue , a senior film, television and media studies major from Chiba, Japan. Email comments to editor@theloyolan.com. Follow and tweet comments to @LALoyolan on Twitter, and like the Loyolan on Facebook.

Yukana Inoue ('23) is a film, TV and media studies major from Chiba, Japan. She loves drinking boba, finding good food places and going to concerts.

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