As a current resident of a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) dormitory without air conditioning during an excessive heat advisory, I am starting this petition to address the urgent need for installing air conditioning units in all UIUC dormitories. This issue affects not only me but also countless students who endure unbearable living conditions during hot summer months. 

This past week, the U of I campus was struck with a heat wave. With temperatures averaging over 90 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity adding to the toll. Students residing in halls without air conditioning have been advised to take shelter in air-conditioned areas. We are being encouraged to leave where we live for the sake of our own health. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that excessive heat exposure can result in heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and even worse. How are we expected to study and excel in these conditions? Many students have even turned to last minute hotel reservations to avoid the heat overnight, adding to the burden of college expenses. As a school that prides itself in playing a role in the invention of air conditioning, how is it possible to not provide it for your own students?

Please, I encourage you to sign this petition so that students may live in the proper conditions that they deserve. Air conditioning in record high heats is not a commodity, it is a necessity.