In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, mold isn’t a foreign issue to New Orleanians. Nevertheless, Buddig Hall residents didn’t expect it sneaking into their rooms two years after the storm.
During the first few weeks of the fall semester, residents in Buddig Hall noticed mold and mildew spots in their rooms. Jodi Forte, mass communication freshman and desk assistant in Buddig, noticed spots on the lobby and elevator doors. “You could smell it from the first floor, but they replaced the ceiling tiles and dried the carpet two or three weeks ago,” she said.
Jennifer Copes, assistant director for residential life, sent an e-mail Oct. 4 to Buddig residents stating, “We’ve isolated a few possible causes for the growth of mold in the rooms we know of already.” The e-mail continued to list ways to reduce the likelihood of growth, including never turning the air conditioner off, keeping the unit at 72 to 78 degrees and not opening windows, because the mixture of temperatures could create conditions for the mold to reproduce.
But the mold problem was not as bad as at the beginning of the school year, Forte said. She said the directors informed the desk assistants and staff about closing the windows and keeping the air conditioner on during training sessions several weeks ago.
Ashley Nesbitt, psychology freshman, uses her own elbow grease to keep mold from spreading to her room. She said when her suitemates’ air conditioner broke, water leaked, making the floor smelly and damp, and she had to keep the connecting bathroom door shut. Nesbitt also cleaned the shower with bleach twice a week to combat the rapidly growing mold.
“I sprayed air neutralizers and used heavy duty cleaners (like Greased Lightning), and the smell and the mold are still there. What needs to happen is that their A.C. needs to be cleaned out with bleach, as does the rest of their room,” Nesbitt said.
Nesbitt added that her neighbor down the hall doesn’t have a mold problem at all, so she is unsure whether it’s just her room that’s having problems.
Robin Abbott, political science junior and resident assistant on the eighth and ninth floors, also experienced mold in his room and had to move. However, he said residential life is “doing everything they can” to address the issue and resolve the problem.
Ann Moss, assistant director of Physical Plant, said, “The affected areas were cleaned with the appropriate products to eliminate the mold, and a few rooms were treated (and) cleaned for the mold and then painted with a mold-inhibiting product.”
Robert Reed, director of Residential Life said, “The issue has been resolved and contained.”
Rosie Dao can be reached at [email protected].
