Mynders Hall is a residence hall at The U of M, but at times it can feel more like a greenhouse. This is because the 90-year-old building remains without air-conditioning.
Mynders was built before the Industrial Revolution, before World War I and unfortunately for its residents, before air-conditioning.
“It did get uncomfortable for the first couple of weeks when everyone was moving in. We were sweating all the time, but after a little while you just get used to it,” said Sandra Grissom, a resident at Mynders.
The problem most residents have is not about the lack of air-conditioning, but rather the cost of the Mynders rooms compared to other dormitory rooms with air-conditioning around campus.
A double room at Mynders costs $1,000 per semester, compared to an air-conditioned double room at Rawls for $1,065, a difference of $65.
“The cost is based on a variety of things. All of the rooms in Mynders are more of a suite style and a small number of people share bath rooms,” said Peter Groenendyk, associate director of Residence Life. “It’s a trade-off — more space for no air-conditioning.”
“The cost to put air-conditioning in Mynders would be astronomical,” Groenendyk said.
Almost all Mynders residents choose to alleviate the heat with numerous fans and other cooling devices.
“We have five fans in our room. When it’s really hot I just put all the fans on me and lie there,” Grissom said.
“Most of the people who sign up for Mynders know that it’s not air-conditioned going into it, so we don’t get a whole lot of complaints,” Groenendyk said.
Other residents find relief from the stifling heat in their rooms by migrating to the lounge, which is the only area of the building with air conditioning.
“A lot of people go to the lounge and study, or just hang out, mostly because it’s nice and cool in there,” Grissom said.
“We try to do some programs in the beginning of each semester to help the problem by encouraging people to go into the lounge, because that area is air-conditioned,” Groenendyk said.
The reason for Mynders Hall being without air-conditioning appears to be not only about money, but also practicality. It would be almost impossible to install air-conditioning in Mynders according to Groenendyk.
“It has something to do with the wood in the building and the way the whole place was constructed. It just isn’t suited for air,” Groenendyk said.
