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Coughing, Sneezing, Wheezing-- Black Mold at Fairmont State University

Written by Kaye Burnet

Last updated on June 08, 2015 @ 12:05AM

Created on June 07, 2015 @ 8:44PM

Student journalists at Fairmont State University fear that the administration is retaliating against them for exposing a mold problem in university housing.

FSU’s student periodical, called “The Columns,” is no longer able to access its email account and its faculty advisor will not be able to return to his job in the fall, according to Jacob Buckland, editor-in-chief of the paper, and Tyler Wilson, managing editor.

According to Buckland, students approached “The Columns” in the fall with concerns over mold growth in dormitories.

“Before we could just come out and say [there was mold] in a newspaper article, we had to do a lot of investigation,” Buckland said. “We went and actually independently tested multiple sites around campus to see if we could find a toxic form of black mold.”

The reporters sampled three locations on campus and tow tested positive for black mold. The newspaper then published the story in three installations. Buckland and Wilson hoped the story would encourage the university to take action, but things did not go the way they expected.

“I got administrators coming to me and to my reporters, asking us not to print these articles that showed a negative light on the university,” Buckland said.

The two students then reached out to the school’s Board of Governors to talk about the negative reactions, but communications between the Board and the paper became difficult when school administrators shut down “The Columns” email account, Buckland said.

Additionally, the newspaper’s faculty advisor, Michael Kelley, said he was terminated from a three year contract as a temporary professor at FSU. Wilson and Buckland fear this might be related to their controversial articles.

FSU Vice President of Student Services Kaye Widney said university administration has a general policy of cooperation with “The Columns.”

University spokeswoman Amy Baker Pellegrin said the university hired a contractor in the fall to address student concerns about mold in College Park, an on-campus apartment complex. The school did not receive any complaints about the building tested by “The Columns,” Pritchard Hall.

After the contractor inspected the complex, mold was found in several areas, which were cleaned. Four students were relocated.

The medical effects of mold can vary drastically, depending on the individual, according to Dr. Natalie King-Selario of Bridgeport Express care. According to her, mold exposure in small quantities should not seriously affect most otherwise-healthy people.

“A lot of individuals will have, you know, side effects from being exposed to mold long-term,” Kng-Selario said. “In particular, those who have allergies or underlying asthma can be more affected and it can worsen those symptoms.”

According to one of the articles published in “The Columns,” one FSU student was hospitalized this year due to mold exposure. Others, such as FSU student Frances Vessels, are worried about its effects. Vessels’ roommate has allergies.

“They have tested our apartment for mold and told us that it was positive but non-toxic,” Vessels said. “But [my roommate] has still had allergies and been sick and coughing and sneezing almost everyday that we’ve lived in this apartment together.”

According to King-Selario, the best solution to a mold problem is a deep clean.

“We can treat the symptoms, but it won’t actually get rid of it,” King-Selario said. “It’s just alleviating the symptoms to an extent.”

The student journalists and their advisor are waiting to hear back from the Board of Governors. They also reached out to the Student Press Law Center for legal advice.