The University of Maryland’s Ellicott Hall will not house residents in the fall 2026 semester while it temporarily closes for air conditioning installation.
The installations in Ellicott Hall are set to begin in May 2026 after finals and are expected to be completed by December 2026, according to a statement from a Resident Life department spokesperson.
Ellicott Hall is also expected to receive window replacements, updates to electrical equipment and updates to the community bathrooms, the spokesperson wrote. Hagerstown Hall is expected to receive similar renovations and construction is slated to start in January 2027 after more funding is approved.
Resident Life will “prioritize the availability for on-campus housing in the residence halls to incoming first-year students, rising sophomores and students in exempted groups,” the spokesperson wrote. Exempted groups can include people in living-learning programs or on a particular scholarship.
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“I hope you know that you’ve got advocates in … us and our staff,” Resident Life director Dennis Passarella-George told Residence Hall Association members during a town hall last month. “Continuing to invest in our residence halls is important, and that means a lot more than just air conditioning and windows.”
Dorms without air conditioning have been a longstanding issue. In September 2023, The Diamondback reported an extreme heatwave affected residents of eight different dorms.
Seven dorms are currently without air conditioning, including Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Ellicott, Hagerstown, Wicomico and Worcester halls.
Freshman public health science major Jacob Cabrera Cadet, an Ellicott Hall resident, said he’s excited for the air conditioning installation, but disappointed it didn’t happen sooner. For residents like Cabrera Cadet, the lack of air conditioning has affected their daily lives.
“In the beginning, it really sucked, because it was hot everyday,” he said. “I had to turn on my fans. I had to have them pointed at me 24/7.”
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Cabrera Cadet added that having air conditioning in Ellicott Hall will make students feel more comfortable and excited to live in the dorms. Some students don’t live in the dorms because they know freshmen often are assigned those with no air conditioning, he said.
Freshman chemical engineering major Luis Vasquez Coto, a Hagerstown Hall resident, said the lack of air conditioning has impacted his sleep on nights before classes.
“I remember moving in during August and September, it was bad,” Vasquez Coto said. “I could barely sleep, I was sweating a lot.”
Rather than staying inside his dorm, Vasquez Coto said he spent time in other buildings on campus like McKeldin Library or Marie Mount Hall to stay refreshed.
Vasquez Coto added that air conditioning would also improve how students sleep and their overall mental wellness.
“Going around the halls, it creates humidity, it just gets annoying,” he said. “It makes you not stay in the dorms, especially during the hot summer time.”
