Biola explores solutions to lack of air conditioning in Chase Gymnasium
After sitting through the heat of Chase Gymnasium during this year’s Torrey Memorial Bible Conference, students and faculty seek a solution to the lack of air conditioning in a space that holds the majority of university-wide events.
Chris Reyes, manager of Biola’s central plant and HVAC — Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning — said that the probability of air conditioning in the gym comes up every time Biola hosts a large event.
“This has been looked at since [president Clyde] Cook was here,” Reyes said.
Reyes and Jeff Hoffman, sports information director and media relations coordinator for Athletics, are counting the cost.
Hoffman said, “If I had to make the decision right now I would say, ‘Yeah, we probably should hold off on the air conditioning.’ As much as I’d like it; it would be great.”
STUDENTS EXPRESS CONCERNS
While sitting in the gym for the three-day Torrey Conference, students felt the heat.
“It’s hard to pay attention to the speaker when everyone’s crowded around you, fanning themselves and complaining,” freshman political science major Sami Olson said.
Reyes described a scene that happens all too often in Chase.
“Somebody leans over to somebody higher up and says, ‘How much is it going to cost again to get air conditioning in here?’” he said.
The lack of cool air on hot days is not the only problem. Senior music and psychology major Marianna Kleemann said that although the gym was hot during the conference, it can get cold with fewer people.
ATHLETES AND SPECTATORS SUFFER
Beyond problems with chapel events, Hoffman said that the lack of air conditioning in the gym affects student athletes’ performance as well as spectators’ attendance and enjoyment.
Last summer, Biola hosted a volleyball tournament in weather topping 100 degrees. In addition to increased body temperature from movement, Hoffman said, “When you don’t have that second when you can stop and kind of recover and cool down, it makes it even harder.”
Hoffman said Biola’s athletic department had to refund money to potential spectators of the volleyball tournament due to the heat.
CAMPUS RICH IN HISTORY, NOT IN PIPING
Chase Gymnasium was built in 1964, when air conditioning was not a feature in any building. The blame should not be cast on the original builders, because they did the best they could at the time, Hoffman said.
One of the ministries that hosts a summer conference at Biola requests temporary air conditioning. It costs the ministry about $40,000 to install and run the temporary system, according to Reyes. It would cost Biola almost the same amount to install air conditioning during Torrey Conference.
The staff has looked into installing permanent air conditioning in Chase and the cost would be more than $1 million, Reyes said.
A Convocation Center, which would provide an air conditioned space for non-sporting events, was featured in the university’s most recent master plan, but it is unclear where that is on the timeline, according to Hoffman. He estimates that after additional parking space that project would cost more than $20 million.
Even though $1 million would perhaps be better spent in the building of such a center, if it takes 20 years to build the center it would be worth spending the money on the gym so people can be comfortable at events, Hoffman said.
While plans for a Convocation Center are on the horizon, Reyes is currently weighing the cost and feasibility of ventilation, but there is no cost estimate just yet.
Your Turn. Post a Comment
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Biola alumni & supporter
Seriously! Why hasn't Biola made this a top priority yet? And while we're on a 'heated' topic ... try living in Emerson! Come on guys, stop talking about it and actually do something!
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Biola Student
Air in the gym would be nice...but a place like an events center where we can all gather in one building for conferences, chapels, and rent out to other organizations would be even better! There wouldn't have to be issues with overflow sites and all that comes with that, missed credit opportunity, overly excessive spending for setup and teardown, noise complaints from the community, etc!
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WCW
Here's a solution - stop wasting money to bandaid vastly outdated buildings and build a gym worthy of the best Christian college in the country. There are local junior highschools with better gyms.
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Staff Employee
I am amazed that the Board of Trustees, PAC and Faculty are not fighting for an Event Center. I recently heard that the City of La Mirada and our neighboring community want us to build an Event Center, but I also know that the faculty do not want that, they want more classrooms (an understandable reason-their teachers). The pro's are in the majority to why you build one and the con's are in the minority, mostly being lack of money. I am amazed that the BOT/PAC/Faculty do not attend the entire annual Torrey and Missions conferences and see that their students are suffering. If your house is a two bedroom unit and your family is growing, would you stay in the house, or would you have to figure out how to buy a bigger one? The answer is obvious, you get a bigger house. It's like people with old small cars. If it's too small, and you have 6-people in your family, you go get a bigger vehicle. Simple practical logic. So, the gym is too small, your student population is growing, so you build an Event Center. Then students aren't having to run to the overflow and miss out on what they came to school for.
I believe if the BOT, PAC, Faculty and Staff would look at how the students do cram into the gym and sweat it out, would hopefully open their eyes enough to see there is a problem. However, decisions like this are not made because there is a disconnect in the logic to why it's necessary. We need to figure this out. It's the logical idea. -
Biola Student
Having a convocation center is a novel idea, but in practice it's merely a carrot in the face of the people that it actually affects on a regular basis.
I've read the master plan that was submitted to the La Mirada City Council, and the convocation center is scheduled for 2022.
Twenty years from now.
On top of that, it only seats 5,000 people. How do you expect to have people's families in there on top of the graduating class? That's far too small and would be an awful waste of money.
Stop looking at the dollar signs and start looking ahead. I think most people would be able to figure out that it saves a lot more money by thinking that way instead of thinking of how to cut costs everywhere.
I've heard from many people that they were many people in the neighborhood that were upset over the fall concert.
On top of that, there was a massive fire hazard during Torrey conference. What would it take to get Biola to take action? Should we call the fire marshall when Missions Conference comes around so we get fines and the administration will figure it out?
Wake up. It's a serious problem. Not only is our capacity illegal, but I wouldn't be surprised if we have people fainting over the heat.
This makes for a horrible experience for any student.