O’Brien Hall registering at over 103 degrees the week of March 11, 2024 The Xavierite
As winter nears its end and spring approaches, the Chicago temperatures… well, continue to fluctuate. But one place where temperatures are staying the same are SXU’s campus buildings.
When outside temperatures started to hit 60 degrees and higher, SXU community members began to really feel the heat in campus buildings, specifically the Warde Academic Center (Warde).
Saint Xavier runs on a boiler so the heat cannot be turned on and off any time we want. When it’s on. But is the heat turned up too high?
This heat issue is not new; it happens every year. So, if students, staff, and faculty have the same complaints about the temperatures in campus buildings every winter, why hasn’t anything changed?
The Xavierite’s editorial board, who is also fed up with how hot campus buildings are, had a discussion about the temperatures and what SXU might do in the future to combat this issue.
Much like most people on campus, all members of the editorial board said multiple times within the past two weeks they’ve felt overheated in multiple campus buildings, but Warde is by far the hottest academic building.
One of our board members pointed out the third floor of Warde is the worst, and it gets so hot they don’t want to sit in class out of fear they may faint.
Another one of our board members mentioned they have a class on the first floor of Warde and it is at least 80 degrees in the classroom every week.
Even across campus the issue of overheated rooms affects the learning experience.
The Xavierite’s office, located in the Campus Media Center, easily hits 85 degrees every day. When people come to work their office hours, the body heat creates an even more unbearable environment to stay in.
When the editorial board discussed the hazards of the temperatures being so warm inside, multiple members mentioned it may lead to people passing out, or worse, suffering from heat stroke.
One member pointed out heat stroke is a real possibility; “if the days start to get warmer and the university still keeps the heat on around campus.”
Going back in time to Spring ‘23 semester, a different editorial board member who is also in Drama Club talked about the issues they faced in mid-April with the SXU heating system.
“Actors were on the verge of passing out backstage, with some people having to leave,” they mentioned, going on to say Campus Life worked quickly before the show dates to turn on the air circulation in McGuire Hall.
The strangest part is the temperatures around campus buildings don’t appear to be regulated, let alone regulated in Warde.
An editorial board member articulated at one point during the week, O’Brien Hall stairwells were “over 109 degrees Fahrenheit, and the rooms are so humid the rubber joysticks of my PlayStation control are literally melting.”
Another one of our board members, who lives in Morris Hall, said, “for the past few days I’ve also had to open my window to get some air into my dorm,”
Temperatures in dorms are reaching unlivable temperatures and students are just expected to remain there and then go to classes where temperatures are still unbearable.
To better gauge the temperatures in Warde, we found thermostats in different areas of the building and took note of what the temperatures read as.
Thermostats from different parts of Warde The Xavierite
From top left to bottom right: the temperature in McGuire Hall read 81 degrees, the computer lab 66 degrees, the diner near the Atrium was 70 degrees, and a thermostat at the Hub was not displaying a temperature at all.
Because of these inconsistencies across Warde, it’s hard to tell what the boiler temperature is actually set to.
Due to the warm winter Chicago has had, several members believe the school should completely shut off the heat at this point. While this perspective is understandable, it doesn’t seem like a good idea.
The outside temperatures are not consistent enough right now to rely on natural heat to warm up the buildings. Although you can argue body heat will warm up the buildings, that simply is not something you should rely on as a heat source.
Since the editorial board agrees the heat problem in campus buildings needs to be addressed at the very least, we have two suggestions.
One: the heat needs to be turned down. Whatever temperature it is at right now is too high.
Two: Turn the heat off April first. It is highly unlikely temperatures will dip below freezing; last April, according to AccuWeather, Chicago never reached a day below 40 degrees.
We understand Saint Xavier can’t control the weather, but they can create a more comfortable environment for students, staff, and faculty to work in.
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