A majority of on-campus students returned to the Wayne State College residence halls between Friday, Aug. 15 and Sunday, Aug. 17. During this time, numerous dorm rooms were discovered to have grown varying amounts of mold.
Two sophomore students, Angel Runyan and Liberty Titiml, arrived at their room in Anderson hall to a mold infestation of their own.
According to the Center for Disease Control, there are many potential adverse effects that can come with mold exposure. Symptoms are similar to that of a cold, including stuffy nose, coughing, wheezing, burning eyes and skin rashes. These symptoms can be heightened for those who experience asthma or other respiratory problems.
“I got my key and everything was fine,” Runyan said. “Until I went up to the room and all I could think was, ‘there’s no way I’m living in this.’”
Unsure how to deal with the situation, Runyan called her mother, her roommate, and alerted the resident assistants of the issue. Once Titiml, Runyan’s roommate,arrived to Wayne, the two waited about two hours before being notified they would be changing dorm halls from Anderson to Morey.
“I’ve never seen mold like that before,” Runyan said. “It was everywhere. The ceilings were really bad. It was even growing on the bed and the fabric of the chair.”
Both Runyan and Titiml said they lived in Morey Hall previously and were alright with the change if it meant living in a mold-free room. In addition to moving, their room rates were altered to reflect the change.
Facilities management received notice of 16 dorm rooms containing mold, all of which would need to be thoroughly cleaned.
Each residence hall was scheduled to be cleaned during the summer. Some of the halls were cleaned more than once due to various groups such as football and music camps being hosted on campus.
“Anderson was cleaned at the end of May, and Morey in early July,” Kyle Nelsen, a member of Facilities Services, said.
Despite air conditioners in residence halls running between the end of the school year in May and the start of the new year in August, moisture still managed to accumulate enough for the formation of mold. Facilities has devised a plan to quell the further and future growth of mold on campus.
“To help prevent future occurrences, we plan to place additional dehumidifiers in residence hall corridors and keep room doors propped open to enhance air circulation,” Nelsen said.
Despite their moldy move-in day experience, Titiml said she still views WSC in a positive light.
“I like it here, so, I really don’t think that experience could affect it,” said Titiml.
Runyan held a similar opinion.
“I was disappointed to see that room, but it doesn’t change my opinion of the people that work here or the school in general,” Runyan said. “I knew it wasn’t something in anybody’s control, but I do think it could have been prevented.”
