Summer On Campus: Not Your Next Vacation Destination

Reported By: Ellaynah Brown

Illustrated By: Sydney Simmons

Have you decided to call campus your home over the summer? If you have, you are one of the few students who have decided to hang out on the quad a little longer than the rest. Whatever is keeping you here, one thing is for sure: it’s probably not the luxurious dorm rooms with amazing air conditioning (AC) made to withstand the elements.

Staying on campus over the summer can benefit students in several different ways. For me, I was able to continue working my on-campus job over the summer to gain experience within my major. For others, staying on campus provides the opportunity to experience independence, allowing them to explore life on their own with the balance of living in community with their peers. No matter the reason, living on campus over the summer means adapting to the impractical lifestyle of dorm residency for four months.

The reality of summer on campus is the acceptance of withstanding the elements on your own. As a student worker, I was thankful for the days I went into the office, as it meant I could enjoy the AC for eight hours of the day. Ironically, I dreaded going home for the day, even after a long tiring shift, because clocking out meant clocking into the sauna for the night. 

The summer sun quickly became my worst enemy as I tried to keep my Weesner apartment cool. Even with blinds closed, windows locked shut, and fans blowing the little cold air from ice buckets around the living room, the 84-degree conditions made for many sleepless nights in the dorm.

Offering “cooling centers” for students, several locations were open for residents to escape the heat, including the 24/7 library space. I spent many nights sprawled out on the couch in the library, milking out the time I had in AC before I had to begin the dreaded walk back to my bed to sleep at 12 a.m. 

Not only did I spend many days and weeks simmering in my own sweat, but many days were also spent sitting quietly in the dorm, on the quad, or in the library alone. I quickly began to miss the hustle and bustle of the quad as I walked along the lonely path to get to work. If you don’t already have friends joining you over the summer, it is easy to feel a little secluded during the lonely summer months.

One thing I wish I did better during that time was reaching out to others who decided to call campus home for the season. Many lonely nights spent in the library could have been a little more bearable with the company. Personally, living on campus over the summer offered a great learning experience for me and was, in hindsight, an opportunity I am glad I took. That being said, you will likely not see me walking around campus over summer break again.