You also think better when your brain is cooler, so it's working to make your brain function better when you're trying to stay awake or think better.
I wonder if that means if students tend to do better when learning and taking tests in air-conditioned rooms than fan-cooled rooms, just by virtue of lower temperatures. Now, how'd one test that hypothesis, I don't know.
There's been studies with regard to temperature variance, at least, and while I forget the exact details (there's obviously going to be a lower bound, and complicating factors like length of test or physiological variances, and so on), from what I recall it's been a pretty consistent finding that test scores rise as temperature lowers. Don't consider recall the testing being very complicated, it wouldn't take much more than more or less peer groups testing in different rooms cooled (or warmed) to different temps and comparing average results or whatever. Dunno if they've checked general information retention/learning, though.
Any case, it's basically not controversial that folks' brains work better when they're on the cooler side of whatever's comfortable for them, at this point.
e: Oh, and yeah, it's totally not normal to abandon your pets on campus over a break, not even stateside. Not criminal in most places I'm aware of, but yo' family be lying to you when they say it's
normal 
Now, if they're straight up strays you feed occasionally, that's one thing, but a proper pet you're actively caring for... nuh uh. People be looking at you side eye if you say you just ditch your pets on campus over a month long break or whatev'.
