College Freshmen Without AC Sleeping in Dorm Lobby During Triple-Digit Heat Wave

New students at Rutgers University in New Jersey said they’ve had to sleep in the lobby of their dormitory to escape the late-summer heat wave suffocating the Northeast.

Incoming first-year students just moved into the dorms at the New Brunswick campus, and they say there are no air conditioning units installed in their rooms. 

“All the dorms are really hot,” first-year student Richard Chen told News12 New Jersey. “You can’t really stay in them for too long.”

Temperatures in the area have been lingering in the mid-90s over the past week. In some parts of New Jersey, the temperature soared above 100 degrees, bringing a layer of sweltering heat and humidity over the state.

“I think the higher floors are much hotter than the lower floors but, in the lounge, they have AC so a lot of us just stay there in the lounge,” Chen said.

Students told News12 they were instructed to bring fans with them to the dorms. 

“In the beginning, we had like two or three fans set up. We have eight now. It’s not much better,” Suhani Mehra said. 

In an effort to get AC units installed in their rooms, some students said they have been flooding maintenance with complaints.

“Only thing I’ve been telling them is, make as many maintenance requests, and hopefully if they see a flood of requests coming in, they’ll take action,” Palak Mehta, a resident assistant, told News12.

A spokesperson with Rutgers University confirmed to The Messenger that many dorms do not have ACs because of the age of its buildings, adding that faculty members are placing fans throughout some buildings for airflow.

The spokesperson also gave advice on how students can remain cooler in hot weather.

"For students living in residence halls in rooms that do not have air conditioning, information has been shared about common lounges in residence halls and spaces with air conditioning that students can use to seek relief from this week’s high temperatures," the spokesperson said. "Student centers also remain open until midnight for students to utilize cooled spaces."