It’s not necessarily pre-packaged. I was a campus ambassador in college and they never told us anything specific to say about the A/C in the res halls, but I had to answer that question over and over because my Deep South college only had two res halls with air conditioning (and both were primarily upperclassmen). But this is exactly what I said, and that’s because it was true. I grew up in Atlanta; the heat is very unpleasant during the summer months, but the students aren’t there. So it really only was a problem in August and May, and everyone got a fan. September through April it was usually quite pleasant in the halls. I mean, what else can I say to reassure someone? The sort of carefree way in which I delivered the truth actually calmed down parents and prospectives more than a detailed explanation, because it assured them that I didn’t think about it the majority of the time.
I think all of this new building and amenities racing is ridiculous. College dorms aren’t supposed to be luxurious; they’re really just places for you to sleep, or at least that’s the way me and my friends viewed them. I spent most of my days out and about on campus, and only returned to my room when it was time to go to bed. We didn’t hang out in my room or even my dorm, either - we hung out in the student center (where we could see other friends by chance) or in the city my college was located in. And having a double is a bonding experience; I actually feel sorry for all the freshman who are getting singles right off the bat these days. I’m still friends with all of my roommates and expanded my college (and early grad school) friends by meeting people through them.
And it just increases the price of the residence halls, which makes college unnecessarily expensive.