Not only was the weather uncomfortable, it also posed an inconvenience to LMU students who felt unable to tolerate the rising temperatures.
Senior marketing major Jordan Bambalas and her roommates tried several remedies such as taking cold showers and resting ice on their foreheads before deciding they needed to find somewhere cooler to stay. “I get heat stroke easily which makes me nauseous and lightheaded so I couldn’t function properly. [The heat] was affecting my school work and work in general,” she said.
Bambalas’ off-campus housing does not have an air conditioning unit. Throughout the three years she has been living there, she has never needed anything more than a fan to keep her cool during extreme heat.
“Our parents generously got us a few hotels to stay in,” explained Bambalas — but not all students could afford to stay in cooler housing alternatives.
Daisy Waters, a junior political science major, propped a fan on her desk chair and angled it toward her bed in order to fall asleep. “I’m on the ground floor in Leavey 5,” Waters said, “and you can hardly feel a breeze with the windows open.”
LMU Housing emailed students residing on campus a list of air-conditioned locations on campus along with their hours in efforts to provide comfort and relief.
The housing department also extended hours for “all night use” in common spaces such as the north side of the Lair and the first floor of Malone.
Freshmen were seen migrating at night with pillows and blankets to the buildings surrounding Palm Quad.
Palm North and Palm South are the only two residence buildings with air conditioning units, benefiting 630 students, which is just 17 percent of those who live on campus.
Last year, Waters lived in a pod-style apartment in Palm South where she recalled her sleep being much more comfortable because of the air conditioning.
The ocean horizon in view from the bluff, LMU is a short distance to a selection of beaches. However, resources warned beachgoers to think twice before taking a plunge to escape the heat.
Surfrider Foundation Los Angeles shared data supporting the so-called 72 hour rule, which states it is best to wait at least three days to enter the water after rain to prevent recreational water illnesses. “As stormwater passes through our watershed, it picks up nasty accumulated bacteria and pathogens that can cause serious illness along the way,” the foundation wrote in an Instagram caption. The local chapter is part of a nonprofit environmental organization that aims to sustain water quality as well as beach and surf spot access along the coast.
For the most part, with water quality and extreme heat advisories, students have accepted to wait patiently for the heat wave to break.
The Weather Channel predicts temperatures ranging from mid-seventies to low-eighties in a 10 day forecast for the area surrounding Los Angeles International Airport.
“In the case of another heat wave during the school week, I’m going to stay at a friend’s house because I can’t handle it,” concluded Bambalas.
Photo: Isabel Minaglia