Georgetown College’s Student–Run Newspaper
August 30, 2017
Volume CXXXVII Issue 12
Students concerned about dormitory upkeep Recurring mold issues in several buildings alarm and worry residents By RACHEL CHEATHAM Web Editor Making a dormitory feel similar to the homes students just left behind takes work. Students hang string lights from the ceilings, tape posters of their favorite bands to their walls, and rearrange their furniture in the best space–maximizing way. A place where students spend a large portion of their time should not only look aesthetically pleasing, but also be structurally sound. Over the past couple of years, students in Flowers and Collier have experienced mold in their dorm rooms, which led to increased amounts of stress as well as some health concerns. During her first semester freshman year, junior Lizzie Martin and her roommate junior Danielle Pittman lived on the second floor of Collier. Their room had noticeable mold, and ended up affecting Martin’s health throughout the
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semester. She contracted bronchitis, which later developed into asthma. Junior Tatiana Weedman, during her sophomore year, lived on the first floor of Flowers. There was black mold on the floors, ceiling, doors, “just everywhere. Some white stuff was on the beds. It smelled like cat feet, and the window was broken.” She was then given new rooming options. Weedman and her roommate chose to live in a sorority house, rather than stay in Flowers. “They do an OK job of it, keeping mold in check. Flowers hasn’t been handled well. Some [dormitories] have, others haven’t.” said Weedman. Senior Rachel Daniels said, “As both the president of Alpha Gam and the RD of the building, dorm maintenance in Flowers is something I have to deal with on a regular basis. It’s not a state–of–the–art facility by any means, but with a little love and some time ded-
icated to making it look nice, anything is possible. The maintenance and facilities staff have been a big help and resource for questions as issues have come up since we’ve moved back to school for this semester.” Not all dormitories experience these issues. Situations as severe as the ones mentioned are in the minority. Part of the reason why these situations might repeat is because of lack of reporting. Martin didn’t contact maintenance because she didn’t think there was anything they could do about it, and this tends to be a common misconception. Maintenance does have a system for preventing and taking care of mold. They were more than willing to discuss their system, however because of time on my part I was unable to meet face–to–face with them. Amanda Milby said they do provide air quality testing
for several dormitories, and the information they collect is then reported to Student Life, specifically Dr. Laura Johnson. Student Life couldn’t be reached on Tuesday by time of printing for a comment. However, housing does their best to make sure that students who do have mold in their rooms are swiftly transitioned to new rooms. Junior Kater Riddle and her roommate were able to move into another room their freshman year, as were Weedman and her roommate. Freshman Liz Scarlo, who lives in Collier, had two spots of mold in her room, and “noticed it the first day we moved in, so we sent in a request.” After a week, maintenance was able to come and fix the mold spots over the course of two days. Mouldfacts.ca, which is run by the accredited Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories in Canada, gives detailed advice on how to remove black mold, which was found in
nearly all the rooms discussed in this article. They advise to limiting the exposure area and closing it off with plastic. The first step to removing mold is by thoroughly cleansing the infected area, and if the area remains stained then you can paint over the area with latex paint. Mold needs three basic things to grow: water, air, and a food source. The most common source of mold is from leaking pipes, and unless fixed, will regrow even after a deep clean. (mouldfacts.ca) Students can submit a maintenance request if they are concerned about their room. If students are concernad about their health the Student Wellness Center provides free checkups. Submitting a request is the first step to solving a maintenance–related problem. Afterall, they can only fix problems they know exist.
GC admissions on the rise page 2
Senior Spotlight: Rachel Daniels page 6
“Death Note” movie review page 9
OPINION: NFL too harsh on Kaepernick page 11