SEMO plans to cool off Dearmont

Southeast Missouri State University plans to beat the heat at its aging Dearmont residence hall by providing temporary air conditioning for the building for the first month of the fall semester.

Trailer-mounted air conditioning equipment powered by its own generators will blow cool air into the building through flexible ducts.

"These are high end,' said Bruce Skinner, Southeast's residence life director. "We haven't tried it before so it is sort of a learning experience."

Southeast will spend about $30,000 to rent the equipment for a month.

School officials say the cost will be paid from the campus housing contingency budget. Students in Dearmont won't be charged higher rates to pay for the expense, Skinner said.

School officials believe it's worth the cost.

"We believe we can dorp the temperature down," said Skinner. "When it is approximately 100 degrees outside we can get it into the upper 70s in the rooms," he said.

The trailer unit was used last weekend at the Professional Golf Association tournament in Oklahoma.

The equipment should be on site later today, Skinner said. The equipment should be up and running by Friday morning at the latest, he said.

Freshmen are expected to move into campus residence halls today. Dearmont is the only campus residence hall that isn't air-conditioned.

Two of 10 sections of the three-story Dearmont residence hall have been outfitted with portable air conditioning units in the rooms. That will serve about 70 students.

The remaining 260 students would have had to deal with the sweltering heat. The rented air conditioning equipment should alleviate that situation, Skinner said.