Students from Two Southern Colleges Report Mold Problems
College dorms across the U.S. are beginning to show their age, and like many older buildings, they’re facing a big problem: mold.
Students at Georgia State University recently complained to WSB-TV 2 that mold is a serious problem in their dorm room. Student Amber Crosson told the station that a plumbing issue drew her attention to mold under the sink in her University Commons dorm.
The problem got so bad for student Brandy Harris that she actually had to move out of the dorms. “The paint was bubbling up, you know you can pop it, and there is little black stuff in there,” she told WSB-TV 2. “What would happen to me is my lymph nodes swell… whenever I came into the room, I’d be fine outside.”
Harris also reported problems with the water quality, and added that “People are paying $4,000 and up to stay in a room that is not safe, not healthy.” Crosson confirmed that problems take too long to fix for such an expensive dorm.
Georgia State claimed to be unaware of the issue and told WSB-TV 2 that it would be addressed.
Meanwhile, students at Arkansas State, who thought they were out of the woods after a local restoration company cleaned out the campus buildings, are facing mold problems again.
After reports of mold were filed in Sept. 2014, the college conducted an investigation and hired ServPro to clean out 16 rooms which were found to have cases of mold. The cleanup was costly, but it didn’t fix the problem. Residents are now reporting that there still seems to be mold in the air vents.
Assistant vice chancellor for student affairs Craig Johnson blamed the return of the problem on students leaving their windows open while they have the air conditioning on. This creates a moist environment that’s ripe for mold.
“Every property owner/manager/home owner should be constantly vigilant to ensure that moisture is not penetrating into the property,” says Joe Mulieri of Mold Gone. “Water stains, cracking caulk and cracks in walls are all signs of potential mold growth. Mold is always a result of moisture penetration, because it is essential to mold growth.”
Johnson also blamed the more recent mold problems on previously undiscovered leaks. All mold cases have now been dealt with, according to Johnson, and students with issues can complete online work orders to report mold.
