The universities in North Rhine-Westphalia are required to save energy. The aim is to save at least 20 percent gas without drastic restrictions in teaching and research. This is to be achieved by lowering the heating temperature in the university premises.
The measures also affect the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster. The maximum temperature in university buildings there is currently 19 degrees. This temperature appears to be too cold for students and other visitors to the library, who often spend hours studying and reading there.
The university has now announced on Instagram that it will sell fleece blankets “at cost price”. This should make learning at the low temperatures more pleasant.
The reactions to the announcement are rather negative. For example, Instagram users comment that blankets can be rented. According to the university, however, rental blankets are not possible for hygienic reasons.
The heating has also been turned down to 19 degrees at the University of Trier in Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition, the opening hours of the university library have been reduced. A video was published on the university’s Instagram channel giving students tips for keeping things warm in the library.
For example, jackets and blankets can be taken into the reading rooms this winter semester. You can also bring a hot water bottle or use hand warmers. The students react without understanding to the tips in the video. An Instagram user writes that she “always has a kettle with me to fill up the hot water bottle”.