As a Blue Key for Hartwick College's admissions office during the extreme summer months, I request the college to consider its student workforce's welfare. My efforts and those of my peers contribute significantly to the college's image, yet we feel our needs and comfort are not being prioritized. Due to the decision of Residential Life, students are being put in Van Ess housing over the summer, where we are paying the same amount as Leitzel housing but are given less space. Van Ess also lacks air conditioning, a massive problem as the summer can get extremely hot, especially since the buildings hold onto that heat.

I've been working as a Blue Key for almost a year now. We are required to participate in physically demanding tasks in the heat. My performance will be drastically affected if I have to go home to a hot dorm every day. I cannot fully represent this college if I constantly feel sick due to overheating. I also feel disrespected by the college itself because the institution seems to prioritize baseball families in the apartments and townhouses instead of its student workers. A study to back up this statement is by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which conclusively shows that excessive indoor heat affects both health and cognitive function (Harvard Gazette, 2018).

Another problem last summer was the overflow of waste bins due to infrequent garbage collection. This creates an unhealthy living environment that threatens our well-being. I understand that keeping the kitchen clean is partly the student's responsibility; however, it is the facility's responsibility to either give us a larger garbage bin so it does not overflow as quickly or to take it out at least three times a week so it does not overflow. Overflowing garbage is unsanitary and invites flies into a place where food is prepared.

For these reasons, we urge Hartwick College, specifically Residential Life, to mandate that all summer housing be equipped with air conditioning and to ensure proper cleaning services are in place. I understand there was a space issue last summer. However, students can live in two other living spaces (the townhouses and the apartments) with air conditioning other than Leitzel. A fan is not a suitable solution for this problem either, as the buildings hold the heat in, and no fan is powerful enough to get all of that heat out. In conclusion, this will drastically improve student workers' quality of life and work performance during the summer.

Below are signatures from students and parents who agree with this statement and have similar concerns. If you have any questions, please contact me at lyncha@hartwick.edu. Thank you for reading.