Some students living in Spring Hill College housing have claimed that residence life staff have not addressed what the students believed to be hazardous conditions. 

Senior roommates, Katelynn Berteau and Samantha Merritt reported this Spring 2023, the presence of what they believe to be mold growing in their current apartment located at Rueben Hall. Berteau and Merrit moved from their previous apartment in Andrews Hall last fall, due to the presence of mold growth. 

“I believe it’s important for the school to be more proactive in properly treating mold before it becomes a serious hazard because, as we learned, mold growth can seriously compromise the integrity of the building and spread rapidly, and we want to prevent that from happening,” said Merritt.

According to Berteau, she fell ill with a respiratory infection last fall due to accumulation of mold.

Four juniors moved into the same apartment Berteau and Merritt previously resided at the beginning of the spring 2023 semester. Jace Weileman, one of the current occupants, reported having no issues in the apartment until he recently noticed a bubble forming in the bathroom ceiling due to a water leak. According to Weileman, he put in a work order regarding the leak in early February, but received no response from the school. The leak progressed over the span of a week and resulted in a larger bubble with mold growing on the ceiling, said Weileman.

“The bubble came out of nowhere and continued growing. The back side of it eventually popped, but the damage is still there,” said Weileman. He and his roommates are still waiting to hear back from residence life regarding the issue. 

Last fall, Senior Resident Advisor Aaron Foster had a hole that formed in the ceiling of his Andrews Hall apartment. While the hole was repaired, Foster recently reported what he believed to be mold or mildew on his bathroom ceiling. Foster claimed mold on the ceiling has been an ongoing issue since October 2022.

Foster also said, “My air conditioning has been out for two weeks now and has been over 80 degrees in my apartment regularly. My work order has not been addressed and with the warmer, humid weather this week, I expect part of the mold growth can be attributed to that.” According to Foster, the air conditioning problem has existed since February. 

According to Director of Residence Life and Community Standards Nathan McQuinn, his staff has been working to address the housing facility issues. “When I get a report, it is a priority for me. For example, I had a student in my office yesterday for a mold concern. After I collected information, I called facilities in front of the student so they knew it would be resolved as soon as possible.”

A change has been noticed by senior Brandon Bonvillain. Bonvillian reported what he thought to be mold in his bathroom during the fall semester of 2022. Maintenance staff dealt with the situation by painting over the alleged mold. Bonvillian has not had any problems since.

To report possible mold problems or any other issues in your dorm, email  [email protected].