A (Very) Warm Welcome to Caltech

Techers received an email from Housing Maintenance on August 13th at 3:06 pm. What was it this time? More items left out where they shouldn’t be? Another facilities check? No, the email stated the air conditioning system in the South Houses was down due to a broken chilled waterline. This by nature was already grim. Just imagine - no air conditioning? In Southern California? during summer? The only thing that could’ve made the situation even worse was a heatwave, but unfortunately for Techers, they didn’t have to imagine.

For 2024, September 3rd to September 10th was a week to remember. Southern California was struck by a brutal heatwave, and Caltech was not spared. Starting September 3rd, and for the next seven days, temperatures regularly rose to over 100°F (~37.8°C) during the late morning and afternoon hours. In the brunt of the heatwave, temperatures were over 110°F (~43.3°C) during peak hours. Nighttime offered no relief either, as the coldest temperatures throughout the night ranged roughly from 75°F to 80°F (about 23.9°C to 26.7°C).

Although many buildings had functioning air conditioning at the time, several buildings on the South half of campus did not. The Techers living in the South Houses sadly suffered the worst of it. The temperatures both inside and outside were virtually indistinguishable as neither setting was safe from the heat.

However, all was not lost. The Student Auxiliary Services (SAS) offered fans for checkout to anyone in need of air circulation. They mostly just blew around the already-hot air… but hey, it was something. Additionally, to take advantage of the unoccupied housing during summer, SAS offered to relocate anyone in a South House to a North House which still had functional air conditioning. Some took the offer, others didn’t; either way the heatwave continued until September 10th, when temperatures finally started to drop into the mid-90s (~35°C), then into the 80s (~29.4°C).

It wasn’t until September 13th (a Friday at that) that good news finally came. Although Housing hadn’t sent an official email announcing the completed repairs of the air conditioning, they had announced that the South Houses have been reconnected to the chilled water system as of the afternoon on September 13th, and it is noticeably cooler inside. The following day there were minor repairs to the system, but as of September 14th there have been no further updates regarding the air conditioning for the South Houses. Whether you were in a North or South House, or not on campus during the heatwave, it’s good that these repairs were made just in time for everyone’s arrival to campus as we head into Autumn, and the start of a new school year.

While the South Houses had their air conditioning repaired, a few other buildings on the south half of campus weren’t so lucky, namely Bridge. The construction near Caltech Hall has resulted in a temporary cease of the air conditioning to Bridge Labs. There has been no official announcement regarding this issue, but it may not be necessary. Techers in Ph 1A had a (very) warm welcome to their first class in Bridge as over a hundred students had their first lecture of the year (with no AC). As of the time of writing, there is no announcement about when the AC for Bridge, and by extension the other affected buildings, will be turned back on.