The editorial is the opinion of the editorial board of The Daily Eastern News.

The only certainty in life is that nothing is certain. This old idea is being reinforced right now by the unpredictable weather patterns that make up a central Illinois spring.

At this time last week, the majority of the campus was sweating it out in hot and sticky classrooms, anxiously awaiting the magical day when the air conditioning would be turned on.

Now, just one week later, it is the exact opposite. A light dusting of snow hit the ground this week, while temperatures dropped into the 40s – a far cry from the 80s that Charleston recently experienced.

The problem that came with the change from record warm temperatures to wintry low temperatures is that students are left out in the cold – or the heat, depending on the day.

When the sun began beating down on the campus last week, it boosted the temperatures in residence halls and classrooms. And students and faculty members did not have the benefit of air conditioning to cool themselves off, because the environmental control staff must wait to turn on the air conditioning in campus buildings until the threat of freezing weather has passed.

The staff uses long-range weather forecasts to determine when it is safe to make the switch. With the unpredictability of Illinois springs, they might as well be using a Magic Eight Ball.

That usually means the air conditioning is turned on sometime during the month of May. If the switch is made too early, the result can be the freezing of mechanical equipment, which causes significant damage.

If the switch is made too late, the result is forcing students to live and attend class in sweltering heat.

Neither option is very pleasant.

The way the weather is looking now, the air conditioning could be turned out late next week or at the beginning of the week after that. The only problem is that even if it were turned on by Monday, that would only leave 10 more days of classes, including finals week. The air conditioning would be turned on just in time to chase students out of Charleston. Students will then return in the fall to the same predicament.

There must be a better system. Money for the heating and cooling system came from student fees, and it’s beginning to look like we coughed up a big chunk of change to provide air conditioning for the people that attend classes and camps at Eastern in July.

The university needs to take the guesswork out of making the switch from heating to air conditioning. The administration is gambling with students’ comfort. It may only be a few days of discomfort, but a few days can feel like an eternity as the sweat constantly rolls off your brow.