In spite of pumpkin spice having made a return to Starbucks, the withered leaves beginning to litter the grounds of campus and the start to football season, it is truly hard to embrace autumn as Villanovans suffer in the sweltering heat.
As temperatures sky rocketed well into the 90s this week, many classes were faced with the burden of continuing as normal in the heat, and the addition of difficulties caused by unbearable temperatures only added to this struggle.
“We had to go outside for our lab, and I nearly fainted,” freshman Sophia Marks said. “It was horrible.”
Marks isn’t alone in her struggles with the heat. Residents on South Campus have been equally as dissatisfied with the already burdensome trudge back to their dorms in the humidity, sometimes conveniently followed by trekking up five flights of stairs. Even within the same dorm buildings, the state of air conditioning has been perfectly comfortable for some and unbearably useless for others.
Others have lugged sweaters to class to pair with their summer attire for the starkly different state of temperature in buildings such as Tolentine Hall, where the climate of each classroom seems to differ tremendously.
For others with classes in buildings such as Mendel Hall or White Hall, some students found themselves attending classes with no air conditioning whatsoever, and many professors weighed the benefit of remaining within the classroom or taking their chances with completing class outside.
Outside of the classroom, many have struggled to remain in their designated study spots because of just how warm they have become.
Freshman Stella Smith recalled the intense heat in Falvey Library, noting that the heat was considerably worse, “especially on the top floors and in the Holy Grounds lounge.”
Though fall has just merely begun, the current heat is abnormal in nature, specifically in comparison to last year. On this past September 6th, the highest temperature was 96 degrees, whereas on the same date of last year, the area only reached a high of around 77 degrees, according to data saved by Weather Underground.
Less than two months ago, Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole declared a heat health emergency in response to “oppressive” temperatures in the Philadelphia area when many braced themselves for heat value indexes that predicted reaching nearly 103 degrees. Now it is nearly mid-September, and temperatures remain in the mid-90s.
Following this week, no statement on the heat nor lack of air conditioning has been made by Villanova, and class cancellations, relocation and general policies have differed among professors.
Though certainly a tough climate for Villanovans to endure, especially with the addition of the pace picking up in classes as they get in the groove of the semester, temperatures are expected to drop back down into the mid-70s as the week progresses.
