UPDATED: This story has been updated to include new information shared by the Delta Delta Delta house captain.

It’s been a moldy start to the school year for Elon University.

One house in the Loy Center has been recently evacuated, and another was given the option because of poor air quality stemming from a mold buildup inside the Delta Delta Delta house at Loy Center R and the Sigma Phi Epsilon house at Loy Center N. In addition, results released Tuesday evening from Sept. 28 air quality tests spurred the university to install a dehumidifier in Loy Center buildings Q and S, as well as to place particle-scrubbing filters to improve conditions inside N, O and P. 

The new mold woes have arrived on the heels of similar documented incidents in the Danieley Apartments earlier this month, with some blamed on a backlog in Physical Plant work requests.

MORE PHYSICAL PLANT COVERAGE: Students weary of Physical Plant backlog

As of publication, no one cause has been determined, according to Eric Townsend, director of the Elon University News Bureau, but the environment is a suspected culprit, with spores in the air outside thought to exceed safe levels. Large HVAC filters pull in air from outside into the houses, which can suck in mold spores floating in the breeze. 

Residents in Loy N and R have complained of coughs and cold-like symptoms that may be rooted in the steady, cloying humidity in air thick with the smell of mildew.

ccording to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), living in close proximity to mold has been linked to symptoms of congestion, as well as eye and skin irritation.

Townsend said Health Services has seen a single-digit uptick in students treated for potentially mold-related

respiratory issues.

But for those who are allergic to mold, a type of fungi, reactions can be more severe. Sophomore Katie Quick, who lives in Loy R, the Delta Delta Delta house, is allergic to mold. From the beginning of the school year, she noticed her room upstairs remained constantly damp and humid — a recipe that spelled disaster for her immune system.

Calling her symptoms “allergies that turned into a nasty cold that never went away,” Quick said she and the other girls learned to live with the unpleasant conditions.

Between two and three weeks ago, the sophomore and her roommate, who is also allergic, found a white mold covering boots and sandals.

But it wasn’t until the end of last week that the house’s captain — similar to RAs elsewhere on campus — was notified of the mold by students living upstairs. Despite consistent coughing and congestion paired with a sense of lightheadedness, Quick said she and the others had been too busy to dwell on the problem.

The house did take action to deal with the humidity before the end of last week.

In previous weeks, a dehumidifier provided by Residence Life improved overall conditions in the house — at least downstairs. After being informed of the mold issue, the house captain immediately sent a work request to Physical Plant requesting an inspection. In addition, the house requested another pair of dehumidifiers early last week from Physical Plant to further deal with the problem, but they weren't delivered when requested.

Once the mold was reported, Quick had no qualms with Physical Plant’s response. An independent contractor was brought to campus by Physical Plant the same day to perform air quality tests.

“They were really quick, and they were really accommodating,” she said.

An Elon-specific minimum benchmark for air safety indoors, 50 percent of outdoor spore levels, was exceeded inside Loy R when test results came back Sunday. The same day, the university evacuated residents, and booked rooms in a hotel for those didn’t stay with friends.

Though the next steps for the university were to be determined by the test results, conditions inside Loy N, the Sigma Phi Epsilon house, were similar enough to what was observed at Delta Delta Delta that the university extended the same hotel option to residents of Loy N at the time, though they now don't have to leave. 

Inside the fraternity house on Monday, an unpleasant smell lingered in air that felt damp to the touch, wetting anything porous left out — towels, blankets, clothes and furniture.

According to sophomore Freddy Haramboure, who lives in the house, one Physical Plant worker remarked on “how much the filters and air vents are not clean, and humidity in the air is one of the main reasons why.”

Townsend said the university is “looking at everything right now” but had no knowledge of lackluster vent-cleaning or filter-replacement habits by Physical Plant.

“If students feel that we are not properly maintaining their residence halls, we certainly do want to know where, so we can make sure all buildings are healthy places to live,” he said.

The spread of the mold has raised concerns for other Loy Center residents living in older houses that have not been evaluated for mold by Physical Plant.

“If they took off our vents and found something, I wouldn’t be surprised since these newer houses have mold, and ours is much, much older,” said sophomore Olivia Morrow, a resident of the Sigma Sigma Sigma house.

In the meantime, the residents of Sigma Phi Epsilon wait. Many have experienced one ill effect or another they suspect may be from the mold and mildew — from difficulty breathing to sickness they haven’t been able to shake.

“None of us can really can have towels lying around,” said sophomore Reid Burns, a resident of the house. “And there’s just always the smell. You can’t shake it.”

Adding that he’s been sick and stuffy for the past week, Burns said he doesn’t blame Physical Plant for his house’s problems because “they just found a bad situation.” Having not seen a doctor, he’s not sure his sickness is because of the mold.

In an effort to dry out the wet and heavy air, residents earlier this month helped set up a large dehumidifier that sits on the second floor. 

Sophomore Andrew Sommer, another resident of the house, has been hit worse than most, with on-again, off-again symptoms that have left him uncomfortable at home.

The condition of the house didn’t help things, joked sophomore Ken Crew, who lives there.

“It’s a frat house, so it’s always a little dingy inside,” he said, pointing to stains on the carpet and an overflowing laundry room.

Still, despite efforts to tidy the place up and blast the dehumidifier on high, nothing has stayed dry for long.

“It’s uncomfortable,” Sommer said. “You notice when you come home.”

Assistant News Editor Kaitlin Dunn contributed reporting. 

Experiencing mold issues elsewhere on campus? Email The Pendulum at pendulum@elon.edu to share your story.