Heat wave makes Cal Poly classrooms difficult to use

Students and faculty reported classrooms without air conditioning became difficult to use during an extreme heat warning issued by Cal Poly on Sept. 9 and 10.

“A couple of my classes are far apart, and I can tell I feel tired and drained from the heat,” said Alessandra DelliGatti, a wine and viticulture sophomore.

Cal Poly data lists twenty on-campus buildings with full air conditioning:

Data visualization by Addison Weaver

Administration (building 1)
Performing Arts Center (building 6)
Frank E. Piling (building 14)
Mustang Commons (building 15)
1901 Dining Complex (building 19)
Graphic Communication (building 26)
Health Center (building 27)
Kennedy Library (building 35)
Engineering III (building 41)
Recreation Center (building 43)
University Union (building 65)
Vista Grande (building 112)
Student Services (building 124)
Wurzel Plant Sciences (building 159)
Jacobson Animal Sciences (building 165)
Baker Science (building 180)
Frost Center (building 181)
Bonderson Engineering Projects Center (building 197)
Construction Innovations Center (building 186)
Engineering IV (building 192)

It additionally lists seven on-campus buildings with partial air conditioning:

Cotchett Education (building 2)
Orfalea College of Business (building 3)
Mechanical Engineering Department (building 13)
Engineering East (building 20)
Clyde P. Fisher Science (building 33)
Engineering South (building 40)
Davidson Music Center (building 45)

DelliGatti noted that she stayed indoors to avoid a sunburn and drank more water to stay cool. She also said that many students in her classes appeared inattentive and had difficulty following lessons.

Charlie Garrett, an agricultural business sophomore, said it was difficult to sit through one of his classes without air conditioning.

“You’re sweating so much and super uncomfortable. I just use my shirt to wipe my sweat away,” Garrett said. “He recalls having to sit near the door for relief and needing to take breaks to get water.”

Professor John F. Patrick said Cal Poly’s 2035 MasterPlan calls for replacing older buildings in the Academic Core and incorporating air conditioning into new development. However, the long-term plan does not set a specific construction timeline or guarantee that the projects will be completed by 2035.

Jared Van Ramshorst, a political science professor, said classrooms in Erhart Agriculture (building 10) became especially warm during his back-to-back classes. At least for one of his classes, Van Ramshorst brought his own portable fan to keep himself cool while teaching.

“The one word that comes to mind is exhausting,” Van Ramshorst said. “My opinion is when I think there’s a real concern, it’s up to the administration to cancel classes. I don’t like when they make it a voluntary thing to do or not do.”

He said students fanned themselves and looked toward windows in the building for a breeze and described the crowded, unairconditioned room as claustrophobic.

Professor Patrick, who teaches in Agricultural (building 11) and English (building 47), said the timing of the provost’s communication frustrated him. He received an email after business hours about a policy allowing professors to move classes online without it counting against them.

“It’s their job to plan for these contingencies and to communicate that policy in a reasonable amount of time,” Patrick said. “This is a normative organizational failure, sometimes we don’t take a concern as seriously as we should.”