Community members suffering from the heat wave – Villanovan

Even though pumpkin spice has returned to Starbucks, wilted leaves have begun to litter the campus grounds and football season has begun, it’s really hard to embrace fall as Villanov residents endure the sweltering heat.

With temperatures soaring into the 90s this week, many classes faced the burden of carrying on as usual in the heat, and adding the hardships caused by unbearable temperatures only added to that struggle.

“We had to go out to our lab, and I almost fainted,” freshman Sophia Marks said. “It was terrible.”

Marks is not alone in her struggle with the heat. South Campus residents were equally dissatisfied with the already exhausting trek back to their dorms in the humidity, sometimes followed by a climb of five flights of stairs. Even within the dorm buildings themselves, the air conditioning condition was quite comfortable for some and completely useless for others.

Others brought jackets to class to match their summer clothes because of the starkly different temperature conditions in buildings like Tolentine Hall, where the climate of each classroom seemed to vary greatly.

For others with classrooms in buildings like Mendel Hall or White Hall, some students found themselves attending classes without air conditioning at all, and many professors weighed the benefit of staying inside the classroom or taking their chances of completing the semester outside.

Outside of the classroom, many are struggling to stay in their designated study spaces because of how warm it has become.

Freshman Stella Smith pointed to the extreme heat in Falvey Library, noting that the heat was much worse, “especially on the upper floors and in the Holy Grounds Lounge.”

Although the autumn season has just begun, the current temperature is inherently abnormal, especially compared to last year. Last September 6, the highest temperature was 96 degrees, while on the same date last year, the area reached a high of about 77 degrees, according to data archived by Weather Underground.

Less than two months ago, Health Commissioner Cheryl Pettigol declared a heat health emergency in response to “oppressive” temperatures in the Philadelphia area when many braced for heat indexes predicted to reach nearly 103 degrees. It’s almost mid-September now, and temperatures are staying in the mid-90s.

After this week, Villanova has not issued any statement about the heat or lack of air conditioning, and class cancellations, transportation and general policies have varied among professors.

Although the weather will certainly be hard for Villanova residents to endure, especially with classes picking up pace as they head into the semester, temperatures are expected to drop back into the mid-70s as the week progresses.