Although temperatures have noticeably dropped recently in the Valley, most students cannot forget the hot temperatures they faced at the beginning of the semester.

As the fall 2007 semester began, students were met with temperatures looming from the low 100 degrees to the high 90s.

Last week, the persistent hot weather was excaberated by the sooty smoke that blew in and blanketed the Valley from raging wildfires hundreds of miles away.

The hot, stagnant weather raised air pollution to dangerous levels and led to the cancellation of some outdoor activities.

On campus, some students hoping to escape the heat by going to class may have been disappointed, noticing that classes in some buildings were definitely warmer than others.

Dick Smith, director of Utility Management, said August and September prove to be a problem every year because of the heat.

Smith said that a lot of the buildings are 50 years old, and that because of renovations, cooling them down can be a problem.

“The buildings are not being used,” Smith said. “They were designed 50 years ago.

“They are tearing down walls, adding walls, and adding computers.

“Because of this, we can no longer cool them properly,â€Â Smith said.

Complaints about rooms not being cool enough were not more than usual, but when school starts it always becomes a problem.

“People give off heat,â€Â Smith said. “So you have 15-30 people, they start giving off heat, and the room gets hotter.â€Â

The hot weather also impacted some students’ plans for outdoor activities.

Junior physics major Jerry Rude said he has not gone out as much because of the temperatures.

“I haven’t been able to do as much backpacking as I’ve wanted to do,â€Â Rude said. “I’ve just been staying inside. I haven’t played any golf, just staying inside.â€Â

On Sept. 7, smoke from the Moonlight fire in Plumas County and the Lick fire in Santa Clara County brought a smoky filter and smell into the valley.

Rude said the air quality on that day did not have any impact on his health or outdoor plans.

One student not used to the perpetually hot Fresno weather this time of year is Adrian Velasco, a senior agriculture business major, who is from the central California coast. He used to letting the weather affect his plans.

“It does have an impact because I’m involved in a lot of recreational sports,â€Â Velasco said.

“I play softball and I had to cut back.â€Â

Velasco says he has been doing a lot more swimming and going inside to stay cool.

“I’ve just had the air conditioning on full blast,â€Â said Velasco. “I’ve been playing more video games instead of outdoor recreation.â€Â

Recently Steve Martinez, director of Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management on campus, listed some tips for preventing heat stress.

Some of Martinez̢۪ pointers included wearing light, loose clothing and wearing a hat outdoors.

He also advised people to drink water while working in the heat, and to avoid hot foods and drinks that contain alcohol, caffeine or high amounts of sugar because those substances can dehydrate the body.

Tips for staying cool at school

The Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management department also advises these pointers for heat protection:

̢ۢ Avoid overexposure to the sun by applying sunscreen. Use an SPF factor of 30 or higher.

̢ۢ Wear a wide-brimmed hat if exposed to the sun for long periods.

̢ۢ For outside work, work in the morning or late afternoon.

̢ۢ Wear light, loose clothing.

̢ۢ For heat-related emergencies, such as heat stroke, call campus police: 911 from a campus phone or 278-8400 from a cell phone.