Imagine finding mold in your dorm’s closet, electrical wiring coming out of the phone sockets or paint peeling from the walls.
These are only a few problems Mynders Hall residents have to live with.
The residents said they complained to several people, including Mynders assistant area coordinator Amanda Rodino and residence life, but maintenance crews told residents that all the problems could not be fixed immediately.
Assistant director of residence life and dining services facilities, Robert Branan, said one of the main problems, leaky ceilings, has been fixed, but the physical plant has to fix the remaining problems.
“We won’t know if it’s really fixed until the day it rains,” Branan said.
Senior Grace Asgedom is worried about the dorm’s problems.
“I am mainly concerned about my health and the other residents here because this mold and paint’s peeling has bacteria and other harmful chemicals,” Asgedom said.
The list of problems continues: Door locks don’t work, and bathroom doors are hard to open and lock automatically.
Senior Charlene Gilmore said she even has problems with her phone jacks.
“Ever since I moved in, the phone jack was hanging from the wall, but the phone was working, and I thought it would be OK” Gilmore said. “One day, it quit all of a sudden. I had to find maintenance to fix my phone.”
Senior Rachel Sanders said residents often get sick due to the mold buildup.
“I want Mynders Hall to be safe enough for people to live in,” Sanders said. “People are actually getting sick from the mold and the unsafe living conditions.”
Junior Torrey Singleton said she had to take a trip to the emergency room because of an allergic reaction to the mold.
“I had to go to the emergency room twice because I started to break out badly,” Singleton said. “There is mold in my closet, and it is spreading. Every time I put on my clothes, I itch and break out in hives.”
Mynders assistant area coordinator Rodino said residents were aware of the problems in Mynders before they moved in.
“We give them the opportunity to look in the dorm before making up their minds on a dorm,” Rodino said.
Junior Marneissa Brown said her main complaint is the temperature of her room.
“It is so cold at night, and the physical plant will not turn on the heat,” Marneissa said. “The other dorms’ heat is on.”
The physical plant said it cannot turn on the heat unless the temperature outside reaches 55 degrees.
“We accept not having any air, but living in these conditions is unbearable,” Singleton said.
The Daily Helmsman tried unsuccessfully to reach the dean of Residence Life, Daniel Armitage.
