Burning Up for a Bachelor’s

By Magdalena Ledkovsky

After navigating the long, narrow, off-white hallways of the Social Sciences Building, students fan themselves as they unzip their sweatshirts and sink into their seats for another body odor-scented lecture. Cracked paint flakes from the water-damaged walls as a seemingly damp professor groans and apologizes for the boiling temperature of the room, reassuring the sweating students that a desperate search for a new place to meet is underway.

Fan in Social Sciences Hallway. (Photo by Marin Tyree)

Students and staff in the Social Sciences Building are perspiring through this fall semester as the retro heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC), installed in the 1970s, is unable to provide cool, comfortable and regulated air temperatures.

“The main problem is it's really hot,” said Dr. Cedric Ceulemans, a 15-year office resident of the Social Sciences Building and Chair of the Economics Department.

 After a discussion about student engagement rates, he emphasized a greater concern for his students than himself. “When it’s hotter, it’s harder,” Ceulemans said. “I think it's getting worse, the heat. I think it’s not an easy fix.”

“They’re not gonna do anything about it,” said Pedro Llonch-Vidalle, a senior economics student. Llonch-Vidalle sat in the economics lounge with his peers as they described their disdain for the heat, but gratitude for the recently renovated bathrooms.

“We need AC in this building,” said Anthony Ciccone, a junior economics student. “It’s always hot.”

This challenging fix, in management lingo, is referred to as A/C Two, according to Tom Kelly, the senior energy manager of SUNY Purchase. In an interview, Kelly described the HVAC system, homing in on its defective area.

Thermostat in Social Sciences Building. (Photo by Marin Tyree)

“The way that this building operates is they’re three, essentially, air handlers– kind of like three large pieces of equipment that distribute air across the space. Where we're having the difficulty is in A/C Two.”  

Kelly explained that some short-lived heat relief was an occasional occurrence, as constant fixes and tweaks to A/C Two provided temporarily cooler temperatures. He explained that the constant repairs were simply not enough. “There is a job description that's being put together to replace, not repair, but replace the air conditioning.”

Kelly clarified that, although this plan existed, it is unlikely to be executed anytime soon.

“We have 48 buildings all built around the same time,” Kelly explained. “How do you find, with very limited capital money, to address all that needs to be addressed?”  He ended his interview with a personal note, declaring “If it was up to me, I would redesign this entire campus.”

Hallway of Social Sciences Building. (Photo by Marin Tyree)

Remedies to “beat the heat” have introduced more issues than they have resolved. Victor Vyssotski, a senior economics student, voiced their dissatisfaction with Room 2028. Outside this room's door, a plaque reads, “NYU Stern School of Business Lecture Hall.”

“There are two air conditioners in there. It’s supposedly one of the nicer rooms here because it's co-owned by NYU Stern,” Vyssotski said. “The air conditioners were leaking all of last semester. There would be puddles on the ground and it's all carpeting. You can see the mold.”

Other remedies, such as industrial-grade fans, have also created classroom disruptions. These fans, equipped with an antique-style beaded chain switch, may provide some relief but create a wall of noise between students and professors.

 Summer has ended and Mother Nature is prepared to offer her annual, natural air conditioning. The Social Sciences Building will remain sealed, its unopenable windows awaiting a new A/C Two.