--- title: "Weather So Brutal That Dean Passes Out at College Graduation" description: "The University of Oregon's dean of the College of Design had to be transported to the hospital as heat scorched graduation ceremonies." date: "2026-06-20" modified: "2026-06-20" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/science-energy/heat-brutal-dean-faints-oregon-graduation" categories: - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" --- # Weather So Brutal That Dean Passes Out at College Graduation ![A crowd of graduates wearing black caps with blue tassels and black gowns with blue and orange stoles, seen from behind.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Shutterstock* It's official folks: El Niño is upon us. For some, that means get ready for an unseasonable deluge of rain; for others, things are about to get a lot dryer. And for a huge swathe of the world, the coming months are going to be scorching, as [climate researchers warn]() about the potential for one of the hottest summers in the record books. Sure enough, the summer heat is already on our doorstep, broiling Tennis players at the [French Open](), killing off [vast shoals of fish]() in American waterways, and [claiming dozens of human lives]() across the globe. Yet another telling example came during a commencement ceremony at the University of Oregon. According to the school's student newspaper [the *Daily Emerald*](), the dean of the university's College of Design collapsed in the middle of a graduation speech as outdoor temperatures reached a sweltering 97 degrees Fahrenheit. The dean, Adrian Parr Zaretsky, was promptly taken off the field by paramedics in a stretcher, the *Emerald* reported. "I felt myself starting to get dizzy, my ears were starting to block up, and then at a certain point the next thing I know I was on the ground," Zaretsky told [local paper *Lookout Eugene-Springfield*](). https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/1u7yhqy/despite_an_extreme_heat_advisory_warning_no_shade/ The dean wasn't the only one. According to *Lookout*, four graduating students also collapsed in the scorching conditions, calling into question why school administrators didn't postpone the outdoor graduation ceremonies altogether. That and other graduation events were held at the university's Autzen Stadium, where surface temperatures on the artificial turf reached an astonishing 155 degrees, according to University of Oregon spokesperson Angela Seydel. As if mother nature hadn't made things horrible enough on their own, the university had advised graduating students not to bring their own water bottles into the stadium. When volunteers eventually began ferrying cases of water to graduates, a scrum broke out, as students began "fighting over" them, one witness told *Lookout*. In an email, Sydel told *Lookout* that "Monday's record-setting heat made conditions during our afternoon ceremonies challenging, and we understand the frustration of the graduates and families whose celebrations were affected. It added radiant heat in these record temperatures, and as on-field conditions reached unsafe levels we made the decision to move the affected ceremonies indoors." **More on extreme heat:** *[Scientists Horrified as Huge Heatwave Hits Antarctica]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()