Mold is everywhere.
Its in the air you breathe and in the buildings you live in, but if kept under control, mold poses no real threat to your health.
Unfortunately, after Hurricane Gustav hit Southern’s campus, the once unnoticeable mold growing in T.H. Harris Hall and Lee Hall became visible, growing largely due to the heat and moisture trapped in the buildings.
“When I came back to work here in Harris Hall, I could see mold in the chairs, the carpets and the ceiling,” said Barbara W. Carpenter, dean of international and Continuing Education and director of the center for service learning.
On Friday, Sept. 12 through Sunday, Sept. 14, Ralph Sterling, the director of custodial services, and his staff treated and sprayed most of the visible mold in Harris Hall with chemicals to get rid of it. They will eventually have to replace all of the carpets and put padding under them in the future.
“I noticed that there was less mold growing in Harris Hall when I went back to class on Monday,” said Bianca Pointer, a freshman psychology major from Baton Rouge.
However, in Lee Hall there is a completely different story.
“We reported the mold that was here in Lee Hall about a month ago to the physical plant,” states George Williams, a biology professor at Southern.
“Over a month ago, a representative came and took a look around, left, and nothing was done at all since then.”
Williams was informed that the rapid growth of the mold in Lee Hall is due to excessive water from the cooling system. The heater in the back of Lee Hall is not working properly. Because of this, hot water is not running in the line creating excess condensation which causes mold to grow. Hurricane Gustav boosted the mold growth since then.
“I noticed mold in the ceilings in my professor’s office and under some tables,” said Artis Thomas, a sophomore architect major from New Orleans. “I just hope they do something about it because I have really bad allergies and it just disgusts me.”
There is no word on what is going to be done for the mold in Lee Hall, but breathing in mold is very hazardous to humans and can cause serious illness in people with weak immune system. If mold is spotted in any campus classes, report them immediately to the authorities.
“Mold can activate anyone’s allergies at anytime,” said Carpenter.
“All students should be aware of their environment so that they will not end up sick or in the hospital.”
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