@Publisher At both of my kid’s colleges only a/c units installed by the college (generally requiring a doctor’s note and an additional fee) were allowed. A person installing an a/c unit outside of the system (portable or window) could get expelled from the dorm. Portable a/c units do have a hose that needs to vent through a window (my D has one in her apartment) so while not as obvious as a window a/c they can been seen from outside. Plus the RA could see a portable unit in a room (they are big and noisy). Unless the rules at the OP’s college are different and allow for portable a/c units it is not worth the risk IMO. Plus there is just a week left in the semester.
However, looking towards next year the OP may want to get a doctor’s note and arrange for a/c in his/her room to avoid future issues.
This could be a crude solution - go to walmart and purchase an AC filter that you could put in the open window to filter the pollen from coming in. With a little duct tape, you’ll be set.
@happy1: OP can ask for/apply for a medical waiver/disabilities accommodation. Colleges & universities do this quite often for medically documented & medically necessary reasons. Plus, if classified as a disability, permission may be required under federal law.
Have you gone to the campus health cener about your allergies? If not, then go do that. The team there may be able to arrange alternative housing for you through the evd of the semester. This is a medical issue, not a roommate issue.
The OP can make this request with sufficient documentation. But really…one week before the term ends? It will probably take longer to get the accommodation in place…and then go get an AC unit or have the school install one…the term will likely end first.
At this point…the OP needs to compromise with the roommate. If it’s really hot outside, then opening the windows isn’t going to cool things down.
If the OP has seasonal allergies…a closed window or AC might not solve this issue. My kids both have seasonal allergies…when the pollen pops out, we all take Claritin. Really…does the OP plan to NOT go outdoors until the spring allergy season passes? You know…you also get pollen on your clothes when you go outside.
I would suggest that the OP study elsewhere. I know that it’s her room…blah blah blah. But the week before the term ends, it’s not likely that she and her roommate are going to agree on the window issue.
@Publisher I absolutely understand that and said as much in my post that it can generally be done with a doctor’s note. It is just that:
you just did not mention the critically important step of going through the approval process with the Office of Disabilities/ResLife in your post #16 so I read it as your suggesting the OP just run out and buy a portable a/c without any school approval.
at both of my kid’s colleges when an accommodation was given for an a/c the school would put in the unit and there was a charge for it (at some point each one of my kids had a roommate who got this accommodation – I don’t think it is hard to get). The accommodations at both of my kid’s schools did not allow a person to bring in his/her own a/c unit, even a portable one. Likely the school wants to manage how many BTUs each unit is.
With only a week left in the semester the likelihood of going through the process to get the a/c approved through the Office of Disability Services and ResLife in time to make a difference is almost nonexistent. However in my post I did suggest the OP get it for next year.
DS has severe allergies. The window by his bed faces a large number of trees and when it is hot, he and his roommate leave the windows open. They don’t have much of a choice as there is no a/c in the dorms. In order to combat his allergies, he runs a air purifier (bionaire uv hep air purifier) full blast in his room.The unit is a little noisy so he runs it when his roommate is not in the room. It seems to work for him.
It is rare that people who take Benadryl as prescribed report dependence or withdrawal effects within recommended doses (25-50 mg diphenhydramine every 6-8 hours, not to exceed 50-100 mg every 4-6 hours.). But you should know if you take Benadryl repeatedly, or at higher than recommended doses. over time you can develop a physical tolerance to diphenhydramine. In other words, you will need to take more Benadryl to achieve the same effects. But physical dependence is not the same as addiction." http://drug.addictionblog.org/can-you-get-addicted-to-benadryl/
Flonase can have the side effect of nose bleeds. If you need an antihistamine and a decongestant, then Claritin isn’t for you. Claritin D does have the ingredients that help both problems.
Your roommate is in the wrong here. Being a little warm is not equivalent to suffering from severe allergies. If your RA won’t do anything, confront your roommate yourself, and if they don’t agree to keep the windows closed try asking res life to move into a temporary room for the rest of the year. If you leave most of your things packed in the new room it’ll be easy to leave when the year is done.