As another move-in period at ISU wraps up, I want to discuss my observations from the first few days of classes. Whether you are new to ISU or a veteran, I noticed a running theme while talking to students and overhearing conversations on campus: it is far too hot for comfort. 

Considering that Iowa is in a heat wave, which has the possibility of breaking records today in Des Moines, ISU would surely be doing everything necessary to ensure students are comfortable in their student housing, right?

You would be wrong if you were under this assumption, as I was. (I am only describing these circumstances based on my experience; however, I have good reason to believe it is similar elsewhere). 

The other evening, as I met with a friend at Towers (Wallace and Wilson), I noticed that people were sleeping in the dens and the other public spaces available to students rather than in their bedrooms. Why? Because the rooms (at least in the Towers) do not have air conditioning.

When I inquired about this, the RAs (Resident Assistants) claimed that leadership would not allow students to have air conditioning due to the potential of building “blackouts.”

This created a disturbance among the parents and students who arrived and discovered no air conditioning in their rooms. Normally, this would be fine, however, students are not allowed to purchase air conditioners because students are not allowed to have anything in the windows, according to RAs. 

This appears reasonable on the surface. What else is the university supposed to do if the building will blackout, and it is a policy violation? 

However, if we take a broader view of the university’s projects, we may see that more can be done. 

One of these projects is the development of CYTown, a new stretch of suites and retail stores that will cover the gap between Hilton Coliseum and Jack Trice Stadium. According to KCCI, the 200 million dollar project will be financed with “land monetization opportunities with the balance coming from leasing of 20 CYTown suites and fundraising” and “university and athletic funds, which will be repaid, over time, by project revenues.” In other words, the project will be funded by the money that CYTown generates once it is established. 

In addition, the article states that “parking lot improvements were necessary, regardless of the CYTown development, for the safety of visitors, faculty, staff and students who park there on a daily basis.”

Reading that last quote over again, one can’t help but notice the insistence on “necessary.” Is it not “necessary” for students to be comfortable, not to mention safe in their dorms? The dorms we pay for?

I’m sure some of the “necessary” CYTown development money could be used to bolster the student housing infrastructure. There is no reason why students should be expected to stay in the common areas of their buildings when they have a room they pay for simply because the school chooses not to invest in something like air conditioning. 

Jamie Pollard, the Iowa State athletic director, says in the KCCI article that it was the university’s goal “to develop something unique to Ames while helping our community support, attract, and retain students, businesses, visitors and new residents.” 

Focusing on the students’ housing seems like a good idea if you hope to “attract, and retain students.” From my brief interactions with others dealing with similar situations, it feels backhanded when the school claims to care for your safety and experience when these living conditions go unaddressed. 

But, at least we will have the opportunity to spend a lot of money and drive through the hideous traffic that will transpire as a result of the CYTown project, and then go home to a room that is hardly livable in such drastic weather conditions.