Mold and Vermin in Campus Buildings Sparks Speak Out From Kutztown University Faculty
(All Photos courtesy of Dr. Kevin Mahoney)
On Thursday, September 27th, Dr. Amy Lynch-Biniek and Dr. Robert Kilker, both professors at Kutztown University in the English department, held a rally outside of Lytle Hall to address the growing mold and wasp issue in six Kutztown University buildings around campus.
A table was set up with detailed posters that contained pictures of the harrowing mold and wasp issue in Lytle Hall. Students and faculty from all around campus had the opportunity to write to the administration about their concerns regarding the working and learning conditions in these facilities.
“We’re hoping for the students to air any of their concerns cause I think they’ll listen more. I think they are tired of us.” says Kilker. “This is a perpetual problem that we’re all frustrated with.” says Biniek.
The main focus of the rally was about the conditions in Lytle Hall. However, faculty did not hesitate to point out the same problems in Defrancesco, Beeky, Boehm, Grimm, and Old Main. The issues span from mold and mildew to wasps and rodent infestations. Hundreds of students also take classes in these facilities every day and are also being exposed to these poor elements.
According to Dr. Biniek, Lytle Hall was supposed to have been renovated in 2006 but that never happened. Instead, PASSHE put the bill on a renovation list where it has remained for the past 12 years.
Now, conditions have worsened and students and faculty are finally feeling the implications of working in an unsafe environment. “I’m an asthmatic and I’m on the moldy second floor. I take a lot of allergy medicine just to come to work every day.” says Biniek who teaches classes and has her office in Lytle.
According the the CDC’s website, exposure to mold in individuals with asthma and allergies may aggravate their symptoms. Also, immune-compromised people may develop serious lung conditions such as obstructive lung disease. The institute of medicine also found that healthy people can develop upper respiratory tract symptoms, coughs, and wheezing when exposed to mold indoors. Mold exposure has been linked to hypersensitivity pneumonitis according to the CDC.
Mold is found in areas with a lot of moisture which can occur when a pipe leaks, an area becomes flooded, on windows, roofs that especially have a leak and in vents.
Despite mold contamination, Lytle Hall has continued to stay open. One student at KU who is also a Keystone Reporter stated “In Pottsville to Parkland, any school where they find a little bit of mold is closed. They fix it.” A couple of weeks ago, Kutztown High school had found mold in some of the classrooms. Students were not allowed back into the building until the problem was corrected.
Kutztown University has taken steps to try and repair the problem but the mold is still thriving and moisture is still an issue. The university recently installed a new HVAC system to help with the humidity issues but other dehumidifiers in the building still have to frequently be emptied despite these efforts according to multiple faculty sources.
Another concerning issue in Lytle are the growing number of vermin infesting the building. “People have been stung. Not in my class fortunately. 228 and 230 in the math department has experienced a lot of bees.” according to Kilker. Biniek stated “Professor Hartman was stung twice in one day”.
Efforts have been made to fumigate Lytle Hall however, this was only a temporary solution. Biniek has said that the bees returned regardless of the fumigation.Pesticides and insecticides pose another hazard for faculty, staff, and students.
One faculty member said “A professor began to suffer headaches from the insecticide. Then the enthusiasm with which they applied the insecticide we think lead to the death of rodents which then began to rot.”
Whether the condition of Lytle will ever improve, it is absolutely certain that PASSHE must be pushed to move the priority of the renovations up on the budget. “We do know that the university has taken steps to make some repairs here.” says Biniek, “Our problem is we think the building has outlived its usefulness. You can’t keep putting patches on this thing. The building is really a disaster at this point. How do you invest in a bad building?”
~By Xiana Fontno, APSCUF KU Intern
