TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – College students around the state returned to their dorms at Florida State University this week, and some of them found a nasty surprise.
Students said the mold was wiped away, but the smell remains. The University Housing Department has a policy for students that want to move out, but it's only allowed if a medical doctor determines the building is making the student sick
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FSU freshman Stefanie Prieto said mold was everywhere in her dorm room in Smith Hall when she returned from winter break: on the floors, tables and even her shoes.
“I came back on Sunday night, and the moment I walked in, it just smelled disgusting, and there was like mold all over the floors, all over the furniture, all over my items,” Prieto said.
Her room wasn’t the only one with a mold problem. Pictures were shared on social media showing mold on pillow cases and walls in other rooms. Prieto said it’s been an ongoing problem for the building.
“The air quality definitely makes people cough," she said. "I know when I moved in over the fall, I got bronchitis because of the air quality, and I know people are still getting sick now after they moved in from winter break."
Fellow freshman Nicholas Conrad said he didn’t feel healthy living in the dorm.
“I just don’t feel comfortable, but there’s not really much I can do,” he said.
FSU Housing Department officials said despite the mold, the building was still deemed livable.
Director Shannon Staten said about 50 rooms were affected and that their Health and Safety Department discovered the mold just before students came back
“We started immediately with staff and cleaned the rooms we found, and made sure we were getting in there and trying to get it cleared up,” Staten said.
“Right now, I walk into my room and, like, I don’t want to sleep there. It’s nasty,” Prieto said.
Staten blamed the problem on muggy and wet weather in Tallahassee over Christmas break, and the doors and windows staying closed in the old building.