DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece and based on the voices of students around campus. It was written at the beginning of the Spring semester.

Halfway through Southwestern’s winter break on December 20th, Mabee Hall residents were notified that mold had been discovered in the building and that they would be relocated to new housing for the upcoming spring semester. This information was a shock not only to the Mabee residents but to the entire Southwestern community. 

I was one of the many displaced residents of Mabee Hall. My freshman year, like many others, was thrown for a loop when we received an email informing us that we were being moved out of the dorms we had become accustomed to over the last 5 months. 

The notice via email stated, “Mabee Hall residents [will be moved] to alternative housing to minimize exposure and allow for a comprehensive resolution.” They claimed that this displacement was from an abundance of caution and to allow for proper treatment of the issue. The email also stated that affected students would receive more detailed information on their new assignments and moving details beginning on January 2nd, 2025. 

However, what followed was a chaotic frenzy of confusion and frustration as residents awaited their fates. Our peaceful winter break soon transformed into an unbearable waiting game; the following days were full of anxiety and panic as we scrambled to figure out what was happening. Some began searching for nearby apartments, while others tried emailing Residence Life for any information—to no avail. It was simply a matter of waiting.

But January 2nd came and went without a word from Residence Life or Southwestern University. Mabee residents hopelessly refreshed their emails for hours, which soon turned into days. It was not until almost a week later that even some students received any details.

The Housing Director was similarly useless for many residents seeking information about their new assignments. I was one of the lucky few who checked and successfully found their new housing there. Even then, the school still had not emailed us announcing this change. It was complete radio silence from Southwestern. 

“The whole situation was just devastating,” says freshman Peyton Brown. “I loved my dorm. I made so many memories there and having to move out was terrible.” She went on to describe the lack of information from the university by saying “It was like we were stuck in limbo, just waiting. I didn’t get an email until 2 days before move-in.” 

That email was a standard notice from Residence Life for all students about moving back to campus and was barely applicable to the residents of Mabee. Brown continued, “There was little communication or help from Res Life throughout. I understand how stressful it was for them to handle, but us students just wanted answers.” 

Brown goes on to discuss just how difficult the actual moving process was. She, along with her roommates, were forced to move out only a day before classes began. Shoving months’ worth of memories into trash bags and making the hike to their new assignments largely by themselves, there was little organization or help from the University throughout the moving process.

“I thought the whole situation was a little drawn out,” Gwyn Moore, one of the residents forced to move into the Magnolia apartments off-campus, expressed. “It was really stressful not knowing where they were going to put us for so long.” 

She also explained how confusing it was for the university to force the residents to move out because of the mold, only to use the same contaminated furniture from Mabee in the new apartments. Not only does it completely disregard the reason for the move, but it also puts into question just how concerned they are for the residents’ health. 

“I think my frustration comes with just how dangerous black mold actually can be and how quickly it was brushed off,” freshman Ainslie Bashara asserts. She suffers from an immune deficiency and has had to have two different toxin screens following the situation, with one coming back positive for mold and the other still pending results to determine just how much of her body is actually affected. “I am angry at the whole situation.”

Bashara finds it hard to believe that the university is just now finding signs of mold in the dorms and suspects that the administration simply ignored it. She maintains that the school mishandled the entire situation: “I feel Southwestern did not have our best interest at hand.” 

Another freshman, J’Lisa Chambers’, opinion differed, stating, “I think the school did the best they could, given how last minute it was. They handled it decently, but the lack of communication was frustrating.” 

Chambers empathizes with the situation and the stress the staff was under trying to relocate over 100 residents but also believes that it was “irresponsible” that it took this long for them to finally address it. “The mold has been in Mabee for a while now. There are spots of it in almost every room, and a lot of my friends got sick because of it.”

I was one of those students who was sick throughout my first semester on campus. What began as “allergies” soon transformed into a months-long nightmare. I was coughing nonstop for weeks and had trouble breathing normally. At one point, I even began coughing up blood. I visited the health clinic on campus numerous times, only to be told it was simply a cold and dismissed. Even now, I continue to have respiratory problems that I never had before I moved into Mabee. 

This supposed ignorance by the university about the mold issues in the dorms has spanned multiple semesters, and so have the complaints. Sophomore Wren Smith recounted their experience in Mabee during their freshman year, ‘23-’24, citing multiple instances in which mold was growing in their dorm and maintenance simply brushed it off. “They told us there was nothing to worry about and that they’d wipe it down with bleach and paint over it.” 

They continued, describing how they were sick for weeks. “I can’t officially say I had mold poisoning because I never got tested, because it’s expensive, but there was extreme overlap between my symptoms and mold toxicity symptoms,” they conceded. They already suffered from asthma and allergic bronchitis and recalled how they were constantly fatigued and dazed during this time. They testified that they could barely get out of bed, attend classes, or even eat. 

Not only that, but the illness exacerbated their depression symptoms, which heavily affected their social and academic life. They were forced to medically withdraw from Southwestern, which was a major setback on their graduation path, and discarded all the credits they were taking that semester.

Past residents of Mabee recall similar experiences, with many claiming they noticed mold growing in their dorms and when they contacted maintenance, their concerns were ignored. Many others also suffered from similar symptoms and believe it is linked to the mold. 

While I, along with the other affected students, sympathize with the undertaking of having to rehome over a hundred residents in a short period of time, we also recognize how mishandled the situation was. Mold has been present in Mabee since its renovation in 2022, and residents’ complaints have gone ignored for just as long. It was not until this semester that the university finally decided to address it, and they did so with little notice.

This entire situation has been chaos for all involved. Some were relocated to other halls on campus, while many others were forced to move into apartments miles away. Their freshman year, meant to be full of new experiences, independence, and fun, is now concentrated in an apartment complex nowhere near the university. 

While we understand just how difficult it was to fix, we also recognize that Southwestern had numerous chances to address this issue. The mold in Mabee has been continuously neglected since its renovation and could have been fixed before any other residents were affected–but it wasn’t. And now, hundreds of students must deal with the consequences.

Clarification from the Editor:

The Office of Residence Life and the Office of Marketing and Communications responded to emails and phone calls continuously throughout the winter break, with the exception of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Students were reassigned on a rolling basis beginning January 2, with every student’s expressed preference for roommates and/or buildings honored whenever possible.

Mabee furniture was professionally sanitized before being relocated to other residential spaces.

When mold is reported, our Facilities Management and Risk Management teams follow the University’s Mold Prevention and Response Policy, conducting inspections and notifying the appropriate parties as needed.