Spring Break
Mold infestation forces out two Moore Hall residents
Kelsey McKinney, Staff Writer, kelseym@smu.edu
Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: News
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Mold was also growing on the underside of the drawers and in the cabinetry where the drawers are housed. The roommates immediately reported the problem to their apartment community assistant, Christina Dohanich.
Two hours later, two women from the housekeeping staff arrived to clean the mold.
Byers said the ladies spent about 20 minutes cleaning the cabinetry and "there was still mold on the particle board after the two ladies left."
The girls were unsatisfied with the cleaning job and decided to clean it themselves. Byer's roommate called in her mother, Margaret McCain, for assistance.
The mold was not the only problem.
"We had to scrub the floor, scrub the walls, scrub the cabinets, scrub the inside of the cabinets, pull out the fridge and vacuum, and kill the cockroach…" said Byers.
Between the two roommates and one of their mothers, it was a five-hour undertaking.
"There was a cleanliness issue that should have been addressed before they moved in," Dr. Doug Hallenbeck, the executive director of Resident Life Student Housing (RLSH) said.
"I first suspected a mold problem the moment I stepped into the building," McCain said. "Once I saw the large quantity of mold actively growing in the cabinetry, I knew from experience that this could be indicative of a problem with the air system."
McCain lived in an apartment in Plano while her home was being remodeled. After living there a week, she developed symptoms that she remembered experiencing from exposure to mold. She discovered mold in the air vents and moved elsewhere. Other families in the complex experienced similar symptoms and followed suit, she said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Sam
posted 10/05/07 @ 8:26 AM CST
Both test were done on the same day at the same time. I live in Moore Hall and have not noticed any problems with mold. As far as the roach goes I have seen some of yall's rooms maybe if you took your trash out more than once every 3 weeks we would not have a problem with ants or roaches. (Continued…)
NoMoreSchoolMold
posted 10/05/07 @ 9:09 PM CST
The very elevated levels of the molds described can be dangerous and toxic. The general industry standard in the USA is that over 1,000 total spores cfu/m3 is acceptable, and sensitive people may react to 1/10th that. (Continued…)
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