Pitt-Greensburg's summer housing has students living without A/C in extreme heat

Alyson Bender, who is going into her junior year at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, relied heavily on fans placed around her student housing to keep her cool during a recent heat wave that hit the area.

Still, the temperature in her on campus apartment crept toward 91 degrees over the weekend.

Students staying at University Court over the summer are doing so without air conditioning, said Susan Isola, director of media relations at the university. Students are not permitted to use window AC units, she said, and are instead encouraged to use fans.

“Basically, the whole beginning of this month it was no sleep, no food,” said Bender, 20. “The kitchen is the hottest room, so we don’t use the oven.”

When it gets really hot, Bender, who is studying biology, has to leave the building. But with the library only open until 5 p.m., she is often searching for new places to study, including lecture halls and the on-campus game room.

Almost 50 students are living in University Court over the summer, Isola said, including three community assistants.

“Students are encouraged to … take advantage of the air conditioned common area within the building and speak to the Residence Life staff if they have any questions or concerns,” Isola said in an email to the Tribune-Review.

Bender’s boyfriend, Brandon Reitz, 19, of McKeesport, said, “It’s totally inhumane to be in there.” While Reitz does not live in the building, he often visits Bender, but added when temperatures spike he tends to stay away due to the heat.

“There’s no air conditioning, and they don’t allow us to have portable air conditioners … but they tell us to run six or seven fans in the dorm room,” Reitz said. “She has gone to the director of housing and has emailed the president about the issue. No one seems to really care. They all say, ‘Oh, put fans in. It’ll blow the air around.’ No, not when its 100 degrees outside.”

Over the weekend, the heat index was slated to reach 104 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, caused by temperatures in the lower 90s and dew points in the lower 70s. Currently mild temperatures are expected to rise to the mid to upper 80s again beginning Friday and remain through early next week.

The summer term at Pitt Greensburg ends Aug. 10.

Reitz hopes university officials will make changes to the building, or move residents who are living in University Court to a different building.

Pitt-Greensburg’s website touts two student living areas that have air conditioning — College Hall and Westmoreland Hall. According to the website, University Court offers two bedroom apartments with a furnished living room, a kitchen, a laundry facility, study and TV lounge and game room with pool and ping pong tables.

Bender added she pays per credit, receiving free housing over the summer. According to the university’s website, students can receive free summer housing if they are enrolled in at least six credits over the summer and have completed one semester as a full-time student at the school.