During the first week of the fall semester, SRU junior Chloe Shotko and her roommates reported feeling ill. “I was like, the weather hasn’t changed yet, so why am I getting sick?” Shotko said.
Shotko lives with three roommates in a Rock Apartment, which are the on-campus apartments for upperclassmen at SRU.
Shotko claimed that when she and her roommates moved in, the air was unusually humid. “At one point, it got up to 78° in there,” she said.
Shotko and her roommates called maintenance several times to report the humidity.
Because of the roommates’ symptoms and the humid air, a friend of Shotko’s recommended they look for mold in their apartment. After checking, they found what looked like mold on the vents.
“We checked all of our vents, and there was mold everywhere,” Shotko said.
Shotko explained her frustration about the mold and the humidity in her Rock Apartment.
“It got frustrating, I think, because of how many times we called about the moisture,” she said. “And of course, mold feeds on moisture and water.”
After the roommates discovered what appeared to be mold in the vents, they reported the situation to administration.
Housing and Residence Life notified Executive Director of Campus Safety, Risk and Emergency Management, Paul Novak, about the situation.
After being informed, Novak, accompanied by a director of Housing and Residence Life, went to the Rock Apartment to interview the roommates and inspect the space.
After hearing the two occupants voice their concerns, Novak learned that they were not feeling well. “You could hear the congestion,” Novak said.
Novak recommended relocating the roommates while the room was investigated for more information about the mold.
Housing facilitated their relocation to a triple traditional room in Building E on Sep. 11. Three roommates stayed in the room for a total of nine days during the inspection.
One roommate decided to stay at home and commute during this time frame.
Novak performed some indoor air quality tests in the Rock Apartment. These included temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide levels.
Based on these tests and the suspected mold, the decision was made to bring in an environmental consultant for further assessment.
The consultant could recommend any additional steps needed to ensure occupant safety.
The consultant visited the site and generated a report, which indicated the type of mold was Cladosporium, a type of mold typically found on air vents.
This type of mold is not toxic to humans; however, it can cause allergic reactions and cold-like symptoms in some people.
The Rock Apartment had no reported water damage, water leaks or unusual odors indicating mold. The walls were considered dry, and the humidity level was considered 50%.
After the situation was investigated and the report was made, the next step was removing the mold from the grates.
They removed the grates, sanitized and disinfected them, and repainted them before putting them back on the air ducts.
Shotko and her roommates moved back into their Rock Apartment on Sep. 20.
Novak gave The Rocket insight about mold’s presence in nature and inside homes.
“Mold is a natural phenomenon,” Novak said. “I am not a strong proponent of arbitrary testing for the presence of mold, because I guarantee you, it’s gonna be there.”
Common types of mold are found naturally in the air we breathe. Mold growth thrives in high-moisture areas.
Some people have allergic reactions to mold, and some do not.
When mold growth occurs, Novak says the best action is to identify the source of water intrusion.
Novak detailed how his department deals with these situations.
“My door is open for any safety concerns,” Novak said. He emphasized being responsive, facilitating education, and considering input from campus.
Campus employees have access to training under the Campus Safety, Risk and Emergency Management tab on the SRU website. These are accessible to any campus employee, which includes students working for SRU.
These trainings provide education about a variety of topics, including safe drinking water, safety vs. risk issues, and indoor air quality, including mold.
If students are concerned about negative health effects, they should talk to their physician, according to Novak.
If the negative health effects seem to occur only when students are in their dorms, that may be a reason to contact his office.
Students can email emergencymanagement@sru.edu or call the office at 724-738-2055 to request assistance with a particular health and safety concern.
Novak encouraged dialogue with students about health and safety.
“Again, to underscore [students’] voices, they should not feel frustrated,” Novak said. “And if they do, from a health or safety side, my door is always open.”
