Morrison Hall mold problem resolved

After $104,394 worth of cleaning and repairs, Morrison Residence Hall is mold-free.

Residents reported mold in Morrison in December 2014. The mold was caused by a clogged drain, which is now scheduled for regular maintenance.

After Housing Support received several work orders regarding concerns of dust around air vents in certain dorm rooms, Morrison ran a comprehensive assessment of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

Matt Wotus lived in Morrison this past year, where he found mold on his bed. Wotus said he had no further issues with mold once the HVAC system was cleaned.

“They took about 10 minutes to clean the vent in my room, but once they finished, the mold was gone, and everything seemed fine,” Wotus said.

Rick Bradley, associate director of housing, said in an email that the Morrison HVAC system was cleaned and the filters were replaced to remove the common indoor mold found in some of the ductwork.

Bradley also said that once residents were notified about the HVAC cleaning plans, he received fewer than five calls about the issue.

Since the system was cleaned, Bradley said the mold has been completely removed.

In April, Robert Mizrachi, whose nephew was a resident in Morrison, told The Daily Tar Heel his nephew developed respiratory issues since he began living in Morrison at the start of the 2014-15 academic year.

“When (his nephew) said Morrison’s mold was a problem that had been acknowledged by school administration and The Daily Tar Heel — and that he and other students were still allowed to live there — that was an even bigger surprise,” Mizrachi said.

According to Mizrachi, his nephew sought treatment at Campus Health Services for respiratory issues up to six times during his time in Morrison.

“Campus Health always sees a considerable amount of students with respiratory problems,” said Mary Covington, director of Campus Health Services. “We did not note any large increase in the number of cases of respiratory infections over what we usually see.”

Covington said it is difficult to determine the cause of respiratory infections.

“Specifically, we did not see any students we felt had symptoms directly attributable to mold in residence halls,” Covington said.

Mizrachi said parents were never notified of the conditions in Morrison.

While no parents received direct notifications of the conditions, Bradley said he was confident that the students would have informed their parents as needed.

“The (Office of New Student & Carolina Parent Programs) was notified of the issues in the event that they received any calls,” Bradley said in the email. “We did not feel that this situation warranted direct communication with the parents of residents.”

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