Ohio University’s Bentley Hall at 4 President St. has seen a variation in temperatures during the hot and cold months of the year, with an upgrade project slated for the summer of this year.
Samantha Pelham, a university spokesperson, said there are many reasons why the temperatures in Bentley vary from room to room and from floor to floor.
“It is important to note that drastic temperature changes can sometimes be a typical occurrence during the winter and early spring months, especially when outdoor temperatures may range from below-freezing to more than 50 degrees within a short period,” Pelham said.
Pelham also said the university is aware of recent temperature-related maintenance requests, with the OU Facilities team hard at work to address reported concerns.
While some students notice the heat while spending time in Bentley, the cold has proved to be a problem as well.
Professor Amanda Cox, an instructor of Sociology, has been at OU since 2017. She says the varying temperatures have always been an issue, and she had noticed it in a course she taught last spring.
“I was shivering as I was teaching; I could hear it in my voice and my students were all wearing their coats and hats,” Cox said. “It's too hot. Students are like, ‘I want to sleep,’ which I totally understand.”
Depending on what floor a person is on, they could either be in a classroom that is incredibly hot or one that is incredibly cold. Varying temperatures can be inconvenient, but they also bring about concerns from students, saying they are unable to focus in their classes.
Stella Peters, a freshman studying playwriting, had one class in Bentley Hall last semester and another this semester. Peters said she was impacted by the high temperatures.
“It was just really hot, whenever I would come in and especially during the winter time, it was really hard because I would be speed walking in the cold and I would get inside and I would just immediately start sweating,” Peters said.
When it is too hot, students become drowsy, and some even fall asleep. When the temperature is too cold, that is all students can think about. Either way, students are more focused on the temperature of the room, not the material they are meant to be learning.
Peters said she was not just affected physically but also in her ability to focus during class.
“Especially at the beginning of the semester, too, because when it was really hot out, and I would come in, I would be trying to focus on not looking gross in there, so I feel like I spent a lot of unnecessary time worrying about how I looked,” Peters said.
Cox also has noticed the temperatures in Bentley Hall and the Bentley Annex but knows that regulating the temperatures across a large university campus like OU is not as simple as some might think it is.
“A little bit warm is fine, a little bit cold, but it’s definitely sometimes more than what is acceptable,” Cox said. “It feels like some people would think, ‘Oh, it’s not a big deal,’ but it is, it impacts the learning environment.”
While the varying temperatures can be frustrating, Pelham said the university is continuing to make adjustments as they are needed and has plans to improve the space.
“A planned upgrade project is slated to take place in Summer 2025 to update existing equipment, including heating and cooling controls, in both Bentley and Bentley Annex,” Pelham said.
Pelham said the upgrades are expected to fix seasonal temperature imbalances within the hall and the Annex.
