Mold Problem at N.C. Central Forces Hundreds Off Campus

Photo credit: Aaron Daye Freeman/Campus Echo A sign at the door warns that New Residence Hall 1 is closed for "mold remediation!!!!!"

By Lovemore Masakadza
Black College Wire

North Carolina Central University has identified mold in many campus buildings and has closed all of some and the wings of the others so that cleaning can proceed.

The contamination of two residence halls on the Durham, N.C., campus -- New Residence Hall Building 1 and New Residence Hall Building 2 -- has raised eyebrows because the dorms have been open only since 1999.

“The dorms are supposed to be the newest buildings on campus and now they have mold problems,” said Joe Headen, a junior physical education and health major who was living in New Residence Hall One last semester.

“I am heartbroken. I am just heartbroken, for real,” said Jermod Mapp, a junior history major. “I cannot believe buildings built in 1999 are already having problems in 2003.”

The causes of the mold are examined in a report released Sept. 9 by three firms, Clark Nexsen, Johnson Controls and E.I. Inc.

The report said that the mechanical system in the buildings, construction problems and lack of maintenance had contributed to excessive moisture levels, leading to the mold.

It recommends that the university “immediately initiate the repair/improvement of the existing mechanical system.”

Without such repairs, the study concludes, moisture and humidity levels will continue to lead to mold problems.

Mold was discovered in the New Residence Halls two weeks before fall Semester. The university administration managed to find alternative housing for students at local hotels and apartments.

“I was devastated” when the mold was discovered, said NCCU Chancellor James H. Ammons. “My first action was to close them and work with apartments in the city to find places for students to stay.”

Some students are living in hotels, including the Durham Marriott, the Hilton and the Millennium.

Gantt Huberman Architects designed the new dorms, and R.K. Stewart and Son Inc. of High Point was the general contractor.

The architectural firm is owned by Harvey Gantt, former mayor of Charlotte, N.C., and a two-time candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Gantt was informed of construction flaws when the dorms were opened in a Oct. 7, 1999, letter from then-NCCU physical plant director Edward Eng.

However, Gantt has denied that his company has anything to do with the Problem. He offered to bring mold experts to determine the cause.

According to Ammons, the administration has been forced to shelve other projects to focus on the problem. In all, 14 NCCU buildings are affected by one or more species of mold.

Ammons said that the University of North Carolina System Board of Directors has given the university permission to use $10.4 million of the bond money earmarked for other projects to clean the mold.

But Ammons said he was not sure if that amount would be sufficient.

Lovemore Masakadza is a student at North Carolina Central University who is editor-in-chief of the Campus Echo.

Posted Sept. 17, 2003