More than 60 Georgia State University students have been relocated after mold was discovered in their dormitory rooms, school officials said.
Shannon Corey, GSU’s interim director of University Housing, said some students living in the Piedmont North dorms reported finding mold shortly after moving in this summer.
The building was an old hotel that was purchased by the university and repurposed into student housing, a university spokeswoman told AJC.com.
The mold, found in the closets and bathrooms of about two dozen units, was first reported by Georgia State's student-run newspaper, the Signal.
School officials told AJC.com that common household mold was discovered in the rooms, and that affected students have been temporarily relocated while their dorms and air conditioning units are deep-cleaned.
Tests showed the mold was not toxic, authorities said, and the students were relocated to other locations on campus last week “out of an abundance of caution.”
“Additional cleaning would be disruptive to the students within their rooms,” Corey said in an emailed statement. “We provided various support, including moving and storage services for items, an on-campus temporary location and a discount on their housing costs.”
Student Kamari Brown told Channel 2 Action News he could smell the musty air the moment he walked into the dorms.
“You could definitely smell the mildew and moisture in the air when you walked in,” he said Friday. “It’s a pretty heavy smell.”
The Signal reported that mold was also discovered in other dormitories, including Piedmont Central and the University Commons.
A university spokeswoman said those are isolated incidents caused by leaks, and that they are being repaired now. She also said Georgia State’s student housing department was unaware of most instances because the mold hadn’t been reported by students who live there.
“We strongly encourage our residents to promptly report any maintenance issue in order to minimize any long-term effects,” Corey said.
Since the mold was discovered in the dorms, student Jazaliah White said she’s noticed much more construction activity going on.
“They are actively fixing the mold issue,” she told Channel 2. “They’re tearing apart stuff and rebuilding it ... Hopefully it shouldn’t spread or anything like that.”
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