Mold has been detected in college residence halls and buildings throughout Kentucky, and some students are fed up with the problem and how universities are handling it.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Western Kentucky University, University of Louisville, Morehead State University and Eastern Kentucky University have found mold in various campus residence halls and buildings.
At Western Kentucky, nearly 350 students were told last week they would be moved out of Minton Hall because of mold in the building, according to an announcement from the university.
The university plans to reopen the hall in January in time for the spring semester; some students were unhappy the university didn’t do more to prevent the problem.
“I understand the situation and so I’m not really mad at the people in charge, but it is frustrating,” freshman Emily Stringer told the Bowling Green Daily News. “I wish they had done more cleaning and inspecting over the summer so that we didn’t have to move into this sort of situation.”
Another student, Natalie Duggins told WDRB-TV she and her roommate had horrible coughs and “literally could not breathe” after moving in to their Minton Hall room.
Minton Hall is not the only student housing at Western Kentucky that has had mold issues. The WKU Herald reported that a student became ill and had to undergo tonsil surgery because of mold in the HVAC unit of her Bemis Lawrence Hall room.
Mold has been found at other colleges in the state, including Morehead State. On Oct. 25, WTVQ-TV reported students were concerned about mold growth at Baird Music Hall.
A graduate assistant for the music department says students were getting sick and did not want to be in the building.
The Trail Blazer, Morehead State’s student newspaper, reported last month that three residential buildings on campus were targeted for mold cleaning.
Students haven’t been the only ones affected by mold at Morehead State. President Jay Morgan has been living off campus because mold was discovered in the heating and air conditioning units and duct work of his on-campus home.
University of Louisville has also been dealing with a “mold-like substance” at Threlkeld Hall, according to the Courier-Journal. One student told the Courier-Journal mold has been found growing on her shoes and in other parts of her dorm.
Mold caused faculty to move out of an Eastern Kentucky University building. The Eastern Progress, the student newspaper, reported in August that faculty at Beckham Hall had to move from the first floor because of mold issues caused by leaks in the roofing.
When the university moved faculty to Keith Hall, mold was found there, so they were then moved to Miller Hall, the Eastern Progress reported. Even at Miller Hall, there were minor mold issues, according to the student newspaper.
Students at Eastern Kentucky's Palmer Hall have also noticed mold-like substances growing in their rooms; one told the Eastern Progress it caused him to have two respiratory infections, a bad cough, weight loss and airway inflammation.
