Despite California temperatures skyrocketing mid-October, Citrus College classrooms seem to already be in the spirit of fall.
Without any regard of the outside temperature, thermostats in classrooms remain unchanged.
students experience classrooms with temperatures below 70 degrees.
Temperatures in the beginning of October broke triple digits and remained above 70 degrees until the month approached its final days.
To avoid an uncomfortable class experience, students say a sweater is absolutely necessary.
Madeline Pena, nursing major, has brought a sweater since the first week of class.
“It sucks,” Pena said. “The thing is, it’s hot outside and cold inside and gives people headaches. It’s a health issue.”
One of the colder rooms is in the Technical Engineering room, TE 153.
Not only is the classroom extremely chilly, but the hallway is typically worse. The hallway read 62 degrees, while the outside temperature was 66 degrees on Oct. 31.
The classroom? A medium of 70 degrees, one of the warmest temperatures this room has experienced.
Henry Provencher, administration of justice professor, teaches multiple courses in TE 153.
“It doesn’t affect me, but I’m moving around,” Provencher said. “Personally I like it cold, but I see my students all in sweaters.”
Jessica Sanchez, liberal arts major, says the library is one of the coldest rooms she’s endured. “I appreciate the A.C. Citrus has”, Sanchez said. “But the cold can be a bit excessive”
The Citrus College annual budget allows $55200 on electricity expenses, and $51200 on natural gas alone. This budget allows the necessary expenses such as lights to be on, wifi to be provided, and air conditioning to be constantly running.
“The range is from 68 to 72, which accounts for the seasons; 68 for winter, 72 for summer” Fred Diamond, Director of Facilities, said in an email. “Every space on campus would feel different due to physical thermodynamic properties of each building and space. Each building and location of interior spaces is built of different materials, age, ect.”
The amount of energy that it would take to completely turn off the entire campus every night would be the opposite of efficient. Likewise, having the air conditioning turned on and off whenever a specific temperature was met would have the same impact.
“If they heat it up in here, it may be a structural problem and be imbalanced.” Provencher said. “There’s a state range, which is up to 78 degrees as a California standard”
Though it would take much more power for it to be shut on and off rather than a continuous flow, students are concerned on why the temperature is required to be so low.
Thankfully, as November begins, temperatures decrease nearly in half. However, thermostats seem unchanged, even on the coldest days of the week.
Classes seem to be colder than the already chilling outside weather as we approach the long awaited raining days.
“All I think about is going outside to defrost.” Sanchez said. “A sweater in the class is definitely a necessity.”
