Interviews conducted and compiled by Alexa Schmidt, Asst. A&E Editor

Voices on the Quad

Donovan Reilly

Year: Junior

Major: Communication and Urban Studies

As a resident in Horan, how do you feel about the recent mold?

Well personally, I’ve not been affected, but I know there’s been numerous cases in Horan where a lot of students have had to move and relocate between another resident hall. So I feel like it’s problematic, but I do know that it’s been a predominant northeastern thing, where it’s been pretty humid outside and then everyone has their air conditioning on. So that just allows mold to grow.

How do you think the school is dealing with it?

I feel like there’s a bit of an obstacle in the sense that there’s not many residence halls to relocate to because Horan is one of the largest ones. So I feel like that’s a little problematic, but how they’re dealing with it is fairly well. But I feel like there’s also room for improvement.

Alex Nieves

Year: Sophomore

Major: Business Analytics

How do you feel about the news?

Personally, I think it is not only ridiculous that it’s here in the first place, but the lack of actual attention to effort and cleaning it has caused a lot of students to either unknowingly be in danger/some students be afraid of their own homes. I know multiple people who won’t turn on their air conditioning. My roommates and I won’t turn on the AC, we just open the windows, and whenever public safety even comes nothing ever gets done. Yes, while the mold is more widespread in Horan, it’s happening Lee as well, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of the residence halls had it. I think it’s really unfortunate that we have to be in this predicament, and it should have been solved in the summertime.

 

Eva Vredenburgh

Year: Sophomore

Major: Finance

What are your thought on the mold in Horan?

Just the fact that so many people have had to move like within two days. It’s more of a problem now than it was from my experience last year. Last year I had to move, and they gave us two days right before midterms, which was so hectic, and now I feel like I’ve seen so many people have to switch rooms and relocate, so it’s not good.

How do you think the school is handling it?

I mean not great. It’s the best they can. It’s better to move people than have them sit in their room with mold and then they get sick, which happened to me, so I mean it is annoying to move, but I guess it’s a temporary fix for it.

Sophia Tollinche

Year: Senior

Major: Communication and International Studies

So you’re not a resident in Horan Hall, but how has the mold affected you?

I haven’t been personally affected by the mold in Horan, but I do have mold in my room in Overlook, particularly in the shower. It was there since I got there and it has been growing. We have seen a periodic change of the mold spreading towards the edge of the tub and we’re very concerned, especially in the area where all four of us use the bathroom. We try to keep it as clean as possible, but it can turn into a health issue. I know of friends that have gotten pneumonia in Horan, and it’s been because of the mold on the ceiling.

It’s been such a big issue and because everyone focusing on just Horan, they’re not looking at older buildings like Overlook and Jasper that might be more prone to having mold issues. We have put in a couple of work orders in the last week, and we haven’t gotten as quick a response as we would like. I know that they’re trying to fix what’s going on in Horan, but I think they should check out the situation going on in Overlook because you don’t want the situation to escalate.