In addition to prior complaints made by Georgia State students about University Housing maintenance, more concerns have risen with the recent discoveries of mold and mildew at the University Commons, according to WSB-TV.
Georgia State student Amber Crosson told WSB-TV she found mold under her sink after inquiring about other plumbing issues in her dorm.
“If I ask you to fix something when I am paying so much money, it takes you two months. That is ridiculous,” she said.
However, Associate Director for University Housing Dr. Mylon Kirsky said Crosson did not submit a TMA work-order about her concern for the appearance of the stain under the sink.
“There was a concern back in August for a leaky sink that she had and it was fixed within a day,” he said. “This concern that she had about the appearance of the stain was not submitted through the work order request and the first time that we heard about it was on the news yesterday.”
Kirsky also said since the story first aired on Feb. 9, Full Circle Restoration services has gone to the dorm, cleaned with mildew-mold remover and repainted the surface.
“By the way it was not mold as it was alleged. It was a black stain as a result of dried mildew from where it was repaired back in August,” he said. “Nevertheless, we see this as a primary concern to ensure that the residence halls, the rooms [and] the apartments are all in tip-top shape conditions.”
Although lower levels of mildew or black mold won’t necessarily harm humans, it can still cause allergic reactions, according to The Health Research Funding Organization.
Crosson hasn’t been the only student who has complained about a similar problem. Georgia State student Brandy Harris told WSB-TV she moved out of the dorm last year because of health-related issues.
“The paint was bubbling up — you know, you can pop it — and there is little black stuff in there,” she told WSB-TV. “What would happen to me is my lymph nodes swell … whenever I came into the room, I’d be fine outside.”
Kirsky said although Harris did make her concerns known to University Housing, the department couldn’t discern whether or not her health problems were caused by a common cold.
“We investigated them [her complaints] similarly, as soon as possible. She went to the hospital for that. She was saying that [mold and mildew] were the reasons why she moved out of Housing. I can’t address whether that is true or not,” he said. “She did bring her concerns to us and we forwarded those concerns on to Risk Management and insurance but as you know her concerns were also relayed during the winter time so we were not able to discern whether or not Bandy had a cold [or] the flu and there was no evidence found in the room that any hazardous material was found…”
Maya Scott, sophomore English major, said she has seen mildew or possibly mold in her shower while living in the Commons Building C.
“…Especially with the inner lining of the [shower] curtain. I don’t think the ventilation is good enough in there for it to not have as much moisture. you know there is usually a fan you turn on,” she said. “There is no fan.”
Scott also said Crosson and Harris’ stories do not make her feel safe or that her money is being well spent.
“We pay a lot of money to live in the Commons, especially [if] its like $8,000,” she said. “So if I am going to spend my money, I think that is going to go towards better cleaning and keeping things clean… I get sick the Commons and Georgia State should be held liable.”
Kirsky said University Housing has no current plans to address the other dorm halls unless there are additional concerns brought up by students through the TMA system.
“People live in the rooms and based off how people conduct themselves, moisture [and] things can accumulate, so when the students or if the students notice an issue, we as that they submit their work order requests through the TMA system that we have online …,” he said.
University Housing conducts preventative maintenance in the summers and as dorms become totally vacant, according to Kirsky.
“We do have staff that go in and they do an assessment of the conditions of the room and if issues are found we repair them… we do preventative maintenance and do address concerns as soon as [we are informed] but until then it is required that students let us know. If you are following the work order system and submitting requests, then we have a way of tracking it, identifying it and following-up appropriately,” he said.
For additional information on dorm maintenance or for work-order request forms, visit Georgia State’s Maintenance website.
Note: Lauren Booker, associate news editor, contributed to this story.
