Acting Provost Scott Wilson
Acting Provost Scott Wilson sent an email to The Purple in response to the opinion piece: “Sewanee: The School of Mold? A Critique of Residential Life.” His response follows in its entirety.
We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the important topics raised in the piece through this letter and we are also working with the Student Government Association (SGA) to make members of the University administration available for one of the SGA’s upcoming “Sit & Spill” sessions. Further, both Facilities Management and Student Life leadership meet with an SGA subcommittee on these topics regularly.
Residential Life and Facilities Management staff members work very hard to address all submitted service requests quickly and efficiently. In order to address maintenance concerns effectively, it is very helpful to have students and residence hall leaders report concerns to Facilities Management using an online reporting form, which starts the maintenance and service process.
Please know that the University takes any reports of mold seriously. These reports are automatically forwarded to the University’s director of Risk Management, Environmental Health, and Safety. That office arranges for a certified mold inspector to review the complaint and inspect the room. This inspector assesses whether “black mold” or another type of fungus is present and outlines specific steps to remove the growth. Based on those results and recommendations, Residential Life and Facilities Management can then determine the most appropriate next steps. Both offices strive to cause as little disruption to the affected room’s residents as possible, though in some cases students may need to move out of a room in order to allow staff to carry out the needed cleaning and related activities.
We recognize that, to those who report concerns, it may appear that the response to these calls feels slow or delayed, but the University responds to safety concerns such as mold on the day it is reported or the following business day. Of course, we will look for ways to improve the way the status of cases is managed and communicated, and we welcome suggestions on how to improve our service.
Over the winter break, workers undertook significant repairs to remediate moisture concerns. The University recognizes there is more to be done. The administration is actively studying plans to make significant improvements to some of them. As we develop plans for more extensive renovations to residence halls, we look forward to communicating them.