With summer weather heating up the dorms, many students are turning to open windows and small fans to keep their rooms at a comfortable temperature. However, due to a contractor error, residents have only been able to open their windows two inches, and many students are now complaining of overheated rooms.

“The windows are hugely problematic because they only open a fraction of how far they should,” East Quad resident Dalya Romaner ’19 wrote in an email to the Justice. The University “forgot to consider that not being able to fully open them meant no cool air comes into our rooms, making our rooms basically saunas,” she added.

“That means that if the door is closed for too long (like overnight), it becomes unlivable in our rooms and we wake up sweating, or can never cool down,” she explained.

According to Vice President for Campus Operations Jim Gray, this issue is due to the fact that limit stops — a safety measure that prevents windows from opening all the way — were installed at two inches, when they should have been installed at six inches. “Facilities Services is currently arranging to have a contractor return to change the stops so that the windows can be opened a full six inches,” Gray wrote in an email to the Justice.

Romaner noted that when her room hit 94 degrees Fahrenheit one morning, she called the facilities staff and they came and removed the limit stop. However, she added, many of her friends and hallmates are still dealing with hot rooms as the issue is addressed.

In general, Gray wrote in his email to the Justice, the windows — which are manufactured by aluminum company Kawneer — were installed to better protect against the elements and to boost efficiency in heating and cooling the buildings. In total, 160 window openings were replaced, the budget for which was approximately $1.1 million, Gray noted.

“The windows were due for replacement and were no longer working as well as they should in a number of rooms. … The new windows provide high performance insulated frames and glass, and simplified, more durable latching mechanism. These features provide a significant improvement in weather tightness and energy efficiency,” he wrote, noting that the rooms will also feel more comfortable once the limit stop issue is addressed.

The window replacements were among various other renovations made to campus this summer, including the installation of roof drains on Hassenfeld-Krivoff Residence Hall. Renovations in and around Sherman Dining Hall, meanwhile, included the addition of an accessible lift and outdoor seating for the Stein. The budget for these changes totaled at approximately $2.1 million.

Other changes included the replacement of a portion of deteriorated steam line underneath Fellows Garden and the replacement of the roof above Goldfarb Library. Additionally, Ziv Quad received two new air handling and boiler units.

Gerstenzang 123 is also undergoing the first phase of a complete renovation and now has new lighting, as well as a new ceiling, prep area and front wall. The flooring and seating will be replaced to complete the renovation next summer.

The University has also given Tower Lot and the Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex parking lot a more efficient redesign to add more parking spaces.