Just after moving into his room in McMillan Hall, fourth-year student Chris Wyatt and his roommate noticed a puddle of water forming in the corner of their bathroom.

“We called Maintenance about it thinking it was a small leak,” said Wyatt.
When Maintenance arrived, they ripped several small holes in the wall to investigate what was causing the puddles. They discovered the wood frame under the drywall was black and rotten with mold.

Director of university enterprises Scott Henderson said, “I got a call last Thursday that…there was a leak and we’d probably have to move the students.” Henderson notes that he held no concerns for Wyatt and his roommate’s health but relocated them as a precaution.

Wyatt praised the way Housing handled the situation, saying, “They didn’t want to take any chances [with the mold]; they refunded our rent and provided us with alternate housing.”

The students were given another apartment allowing them to have the same comforts as their original room. “We’re trying to minimize the inconvenience for them,” Henderson commented.

When questioned about the possibility of mold in other areas of the building, Henderson commented, “I’m not worried about the other rooms but because of the age [of the building] we could go all semester and this be the only incident, or something could happen tomorrow.”

TWU’s Housing Department is renovating the bathroom – the only affected area – in the same style as Block Two of McMillan. TWU Maintenance took charge of cleaning up and rebuilding the walls, which were torn down to the studs. The old pipes were removed and replaced with new ones. The bathroom will also have a newly tiled shower, bathroom vanity and a fresh paint job.

The process will take two to three weeks but Wyatt and his roommate will be able to move back in before the project is completed. Henderson hopes to have the students back into their room by week’s end.