CSULB Students Speak Out Against Poor Cooling, Ventilation

It’s no question that the last several weeks have felt like one major heat wave after another. The rise in heat has caused many people to break out the air conditioning (AC) and industrial fans just to stay cool.

However, for the art students of CSULB, there’s been a string of complaints that the college’s Fine Arts buildings are outdated and provide no AC or proper ventilation to combat the summer heat Southern California is known for.

One of the students who voiced their opinion on the matter was Kae Hernandez, a studio art major at CSULB, who described to the  Beachcomber the uncomfortable conditions of the Fine Arts buildings.

“Recently we had the heat waves in Long Beach, and those were getting to about 100 degrees,” Hernandez said. “My classrooms would get to about the same temperature, if not hotter.”

Hernandez also described how some of their classes only had a singular fan in the room to keep cool. Specifically, one of those stand-up, circular fans you can probably find in your home or office job.

“Classrooms like mine only had one fan in the entire room,” Hernandez said. “But it would only be directed at like one or two students.”

Hernandez continued: “I believe the teacher was the one who supplied it, but it’s not a very good fan in the sense that it doesn’t give circulation of air to the whole classroom.”

Due to the lack of AC and ventilation in the Fine Arts buildings at CSULB, Hernandez said there were some days when they would have to bring a set of extra clothes and a cooler to campus just to try and combat the heat.

“I’ve also had to bring to class three 40-ounce hydroflasks, just to stay cool and hydrated,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez also told the  Beachcomber how the heat inside the classrooms has left a great effect on their mental ability, as a student.

“There were times where I found myself having heat exhaustion, nauseated and mentally drained,” Hernandez said. “The heat of the classrooms have left me having no motivation to work on my art pieces, and feeling like I always have to take breaks.”

Hernandez concluded that there were times when they didn’t even feel like coming into class, because the fatigue they feel is too unbearable.

However, Hernandez is not the only art student on campus to share their opinions on the conditions of the buildings. Some of which took a big step to get their voice across.

On Sept. 28, several students of CSULB’s School of Arts participated in a walkout, protesting the unbearable conditions of the buildings. Organizers of the walkout also read written testimonials from their peers about the impact the outdated buildings have on them.

“Our broken buildings make me feel so sick,” one student said.

“I’m sweaty, my face is puffy … I’m being punished for being an art student,” another complained.

After the walkout, CSULB’s president, Jane Conoley, issued a public statement via email to the entire college.

“This season’s heat brought heightened attention to the lack of AC in some of our facilities,” Conoley wrote in her email. “Although 91% of our state academic spaces benefit from AC, recent heat waves have caused great discomfort in those buildings that rely on fans, portable units and natural airflow.”

The email continues by describing how the college is working to combat the issue with some short-term solutions, including:

Temporarily changing courses to an online format.

Establishing intermittent respite in air-conditioned facilities.

Hiring an engineering firm to help identify new cooling solutions for the buildings.

“We are also replacing wall air ventilation registers in applicable labs to increase airflow above code-required rates,” Conoley wrote. “Still, I recognize that all of these efforts are not ideal.”

Conoley concluded: “It is my hope, advocating with all of you to our elected representatives, that the CSU System and our campus can secure the necessary resources to build and renovate facilities consistent with the exemplary academic and co-curricular programs of The Beach.”

During this time, university administrators had set up two “cooling rooms” for students to take a minute to relax and get out of the heat. Each of the rooms also come with AC and a fridge filled with water and popsicles.

Conoley had also spoke at the Long Beach Rotary luncheon meeting on Oct. 12, where she had explained that older classrooms at CSULB, like the ones in the Fine Arts buildings, were not built with AC if they were within seven miles of the ocean.

But despite the university’s attempts to combat the problem with the heat, students like Kae Hernandez say it’s still not enough.

“As an art student, you don’t always get the luxury of deciding when you can take a break,” Hernandes said, referring to the university’s plan of installing air-conditioned facilities. “You can’t do your work in those facilities, so it seems redundant to walk away from your project and go into another room to relax.”

Hernandez is not the only student who thinks this way about the cooling rooms either. According to Nico Martinez, a CSULB art major studying animation, one of their classes was canceled for the week to create space for one of the cooling rooms.

“It’s just disheartening because I come from a community where arts weren’t accessible,” Martinez said. “Now that I’m finally able to access the arts – it’s like bare minimum. Even less than the bare minimum because we don’t even have AC.”

Kae Hernandez also added that she hopes more students at CSULB will join the movement and continue to voice their concerns until a proper change is made. And not just art students, but all students of CSULB.

“There are many other art students on campus that have yet to join the movement out of fear of punishment,” Hernandez said. “It can be very difficult to rally people from different backgrounds and different majors.”

Hernandez concluded: “One of our movements that we’re trying to get is strength in numbers, so I hope that we’ll be able to reach more people and actually create change.”