Bianca Flores walked into her suite on Sunday, Oct. 24 and was hit with a smell so overwhelming that she said she thought a mouse had died in her wall. The smell wasn’t a mouse, but mold that had been growing in the walls of her bathroom for over a month.

Flores, a communication sophomore, is now living on the 12th floor of Buddig indefinitely with her three suitemates while the university completes repairs.

After calling maintenance on Sunday night, she found out the following morning that she was one of the many suites on the 6th or 7th floor of Carrollton Hall to have extensive water and mold damage following Hurricane Ida. At least six other suites and apartments have been affected this semester, forcing students into alternative housing.

On Tuesday, Flores said she received a call from residential life that claimed that there was mold in their suite, and that the shower needed to be redone and the wall needed to be taken down.

The suite was asked to move out and remove all of their items from their rooms on Wednesday, but the process was delayed because of issues with Residential Life, Flores said. Flores’ suitemate, Melani Rodriguez, exploratory studies sophomore, said there was miscommunication from school officials and that no one really knew what was going on.

Flores said that she believes that she and her suitemates may have gotten sick from the mold.

Chris Rice, Director of Residential Life, declined to comment.

The four suitemates were originally split up into separate rooms in Biever, all with random roommates. After discussing the issue with Residential Life, they agreed to stay in Buddig together, though the process was still anxiety inducing, Rodriguez said.

“The whole move I was feeling anxious because I had to pack everything I had in my room,” said Rodriguez.

Repairs are expected to take around two weeks, according to Flores.