What began as a few damp spots in the laundry room of First Gen House, a College-owned project house for first generation students, turned into a prolonged cleanup effort that stretched several weeks –– from the day Facilities Management (FM) discovered the mold on Aug. 27 to when the building was finally declared mold-free on Oct. 4.
During that time, one resident had to temporarily relocate.
The mold likely stemmed from moisture leaks from basement washing machines, wrote Alex Dixon `26, housing coordinator for First Gen House, in an email to The S&B.
He wrote that he observed significant mold at the start of the semester.
Dixon, who lived in the project house during the previous academic year, added that the issue was not new and that he had tried to bring it to FM’s attention several times last semester.
“In the previous year, I had made maintenance requests to address the issue, which were not rejected but effectively ignored,” wrote Dixon. Abigail Davison `26, another resident of First Gen House, shared the space with Dixon last year as well.
In an email to The S&B, she wrote that there was mold in the house for a long time and that she often encountered it in on-campus residence halls as well.
According to Dixon, the mold issue was finally addressed after Maggie Bell, associate director of first-generation and low-income student programs, attended a house meeting on Aug. 27 and immediately contacted FM and Assistant Dean of Residence Life Dennis Perkins.
On behalf of Residence Life and FM, Director of Strategic Communications Mattia Wells wrote in an email to The S&B that FM responded promptly, sending custodial staff to clean the washing machines and surrounding areas affected by mold.
However, on a follow-up testing on Sept. 18, a larger mold concern was discovered in First Gen’s basement, wrote Wells.
Dixon then requested a mold test in the basement, following standard procedure.
Mold testing is conducted by a third-party environmental services company that collects air samples in three locations –– the affected room, a nearby unaffected area and outside air for comparison, according to an FM “Frequently Asked Questions” document.
The goal is to determine whether elevated mold spore levels are confined to one room or present more broadly in the building.
If both the affected and adjacent areas show high spore counts, additional testing is performed to pinpoint the source.
Samples are gathered using air-sampling pumps and sent to a lab for analysis, with final results typically available within about 10 days. The results of the mold test came back positive on Sept. 24 and as a precaution, Residence Life offered for the residents on the first floor to temporarily relocate.
One resident chose to do so. The mold cleanup took three days.
FM installed a negative air machine to maintain proper ventilation between the house and basement and brought in a professional remediation firm, which carried out cleaning.
“I think FM and [Residence Life] did amazing!” wrote Davison on the clean-up process. “[Residence Life] had rooms lined up for us to stay in if we had an issue with the mold, and FM was there to explain the whole issue and answer all the questions we had.”
The building was finally declared mold-free on Oct. 3 after Residence Life carried out another test that came back negative.
Wells wrote that the College has clear procedures for reporting mold or indoor air quality concerns.
Students who notice or suspect mold should contact FM or their Residence Life Coordinator immediately.
Those experiencing related or ongoing health issues are advised to seek medical guidance from Student Health and Wellness (SHAW) or their personal physician.
