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Current News
Air Conditioning in Residence Halls
Lots of residents have questions about air conditioning at this time of year. Unlike a residential heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system that just involves flipping a switch to turn on the AC, our large buildings work with a different type of system that pumps heated or cooled water through pipes that run throughout the building, and then in each student room there is a blower unit which blows air across coils that are being heated or cooled by this water. In the winter, hot water is pumped through the system, which provides the ability to turn on the blower in your room and receive heat. In the summer, we pump chilled water through the same pipes and that produces air conditioning in each room.
The problem is that we can only supply one or the other at a time-–hot or chilled water-–and the process of switching over from one mode (heat) to the other mode (cooling) takes several days. Housing has to be able to supply heat until June 1, according to Chicago ordinances, so can’t switch building systems until the weather is consistently warm enough. Since heat is considered a basic life necessity (while air conditioning is not a basic life necessity), the City of Chicago has a heat ordinance which states that we are required to provide a minimum indoor temperature of 68 degrees during the daytime hours and 66 degrees during the overnight hours from September 15 through June 1 each year. The other issue is that our AC systems will not operate when the outside temperature is below a certain point in the 60s. When that occurs, the large chiller unit on the roof that provides the chilled water for the AC shuts down to prevent it from being damaged by running when the outside temperature is too low.
Because air conditioning in residence halls is much more complex than just flipping a switch and turning it on, our Facility Operations is continuously monitoring the forecast and will make the switch from heat to AC as soon as they are confident that the nighttime lows will not be too low where heat would be required. Historically, this switchover usually occurs sometime in mid to late May, but is entirely dependent on the forecasts. Our weather can vary widely in Chicago as seen with snow as recently as April 27, then warm weather predicted for April 30. When the time is appropriate, Facility Operations will make the switchover. If your room is feeling warm on a day with higher-than-usual temperatures in the interim, we recommend turning off the blower unit in your room or running a separate small fan near the window to pull cooler air inside.
Meal Plan Setup for 2018-19
DePaul University, in partnership with our dining vendor, Chartwells, has made significant changes to the dining program for the 2018-19 academic year. The biggest change is a move from a purely declining balance based meal plan to a combination of an All-You-Care-to-Eat (AYCE) meal swipe environment with fewer declining balance dollars. The biggest reason for this change was to afford students greater value and more dining flexibility. The AYCE model is actually more common at colleges and universities across the country. Learn more about the plan under "How do I use my meal plan?" on our meal plan FAQ page.
Follow Us on Social Media
DePaul Housing is active on multiple social media platforms and encourages current and prospective residents and their families to connect with us! Look for our accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay in-the-know about important dates, ask us questions and get answers, and be updated about fun events happening in our residence halls.
Archived
Fall Move-In Reminders from the Student Mail Center
The Mail Center wishes to remind Lincoln Park students and families about details surrounding mail for move-in.
- Mailbox numbers are based on your room assignment. Roommates share the same mailbox. You can find your mailbox number on this webpage.
- Mailbox keys are distributed in the Mail Center, which is located in the Lincoln Park Student Center, Suite 317.
- Please wait to ship items for the fall quarter until after your students have moved into their rooms.
- Any mail addressed to a student should be as follows:
Student’s Full Name (No Nicknames)
DePaul University
2250 North Sheffield, Suite #317
Mailbox #____________
Chicago, IL 60614
Housing Welcomes Premiere and Transition Attendees
Summer is here, which means we are welcoming our Premiere DePaul and Transition DePaul attendees! Our campus is bustling with new students and their families, and we can tell that our incoming freshman class is ready to begin their college experience. Our Housing staff will be at Premiere and Transition information fairs for summer 2018, so keep an eye out for us and stop by with questions.
Submitting Work Orders for Room Temperature Concerns
This Chicago winter is especially cold, but our building staff is working hard to maintain proper temperatures in residence halls. To aid in this effort, be sure to keep your windows closed at all times. Click here for information on how to submit a work order if you have a room temperature concern.