As the Blackburn Takeover continues, several students have reported black mold in their dormitories at Howard University and Corvias, the company that funds and constructs Howard University dormitories, has done little to resolve the issue of black mold in the dormitories.
One Howard University student who stays in Baldwin Hall of the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle stated that she first noticed mold on her A/C unit in September 2021. She reported the mold to her resident assistant, but maintenance workers never arrived to her room. On Wednesday, Oct. 13, the student noticed what she first thought was dust on her painting. However, after a further look, the student realized that there was mold growing all over her desk and other various places in her dorm. After her resident assistant met with Michele Monday, the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle building manager, maintenance works came to clean her room. However, another poor cleaning job was done, and the mold is still on the student’s room today. Howard University has failed to relocate the student.
Take a look at photos taken by students who reside in these conditions in the gallery below.
Photos of Mold In Howard University’s Dorms
A painting covered in mold in the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle on October 13, 2021.
Skylar Jennings
A painting covered in mold in the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle on October 13, 2021.
Skylar Jennings
A painting covered in mold in the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle on October 13, 2021.
Skylar Jennings
Mold on a student’s suitcase, which was discovered in the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle on October 13, 2021.
Skylar Jennings
Mold found on a brush on a student’s desk, which was discovered in the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle on October 13, 2021. Two roommates in Howard Plaza East Towers first noticed mold in their suite in September 2021, and reported it to Howard’s maintenance website: hufixit.com. However, it was not until one of the roommates reported the mold a second time that maintenance arrived to check their rooms on September 30, 2021. For one roommate’s room, the maintenance worker only wiped the outside of the air vent. For the other roommate, the maintenance worker wiped the outside of the air vent and ceiling, and painted the walls with two coats of paint. After the maintenance worker checked the rooms, the roommates still experienced black mold. There is mold in the doorways and there is mold on the ceiling. Currently, both roommates are sick with symptoms including coughing, runny nose, body aches, chills, fatigue, congestion, and sure throats.
Skylar Jennings
Black mold on the ceiling of the room that maintenance cleaned and painted in Howard Plaza East Towers on October 14, 2021.
Skylar Jennings
Black mold on the ceiling of the room that maintenance cleaned and painted in Howard Plaza East Towers on October 14, 2021.
Skylar Jennings
Black mold in the doorway of a two-bedroom suite in Howard Plaza East Towers on October 14, 2021. Two roommates in Howard Plaza East Towers first noticed mold in their suite in September, and reported it to Howard’s maintenance website: hufixit.com. However, it was not until one of the roommates reported the mold a second time that maintenance arrived to check their rooms on September 30, 2021. For one room, the maintenance worker only wiped the outside of the air vent. For the other, the maintenance worker wiped the outside of the air vent and ceiling, and painted the walls with two coats of paint. After the maintenance worker checked the rooms, the students still experienced black mold in their residence. There is mold in the doorways and there is mold on the ceiling. Currently, both students are sick with symptoms including coughing, runny nose, body aches, chills, fatigue, congestion, and sore throats.
Skylar Jennings
Black mold and dust in the lower vent in a dorm room in Howard Plaza West Towers on October 20, 2021. Two roommates in Howard Plaza West Towers noticed that many residents in the Howard Plaza Towers dormitories were experiencing mold, so they put in maintenance requests for their room to be checked in late September. However, no one ever showed up. In early October, one roommate got sick with cold and flu-like symptoms. The student was sick for one week, recovered for three days, and got sick again for another week. His roommate then got sick in mid-October, and he was diagnosed with strep throat. On October 20, the roommates checked their lower vent, and saw that it was overloaded with black mold and dust.
Skylar Jennings
Mold found on the vent in Howard Plaza East Towers on September 21, 2021. A Howard University student who lives in Howard Plaza East Towers stated that she first noticed mold in her room about two weeks after move-in day (approximately August 25). The student reported the mold to multiple staff members, and the front desk at Howard Plaza East Towers. She also sent an email to the Office of Residential Life and the director of resident assistance. The student received help only after a month of reporting the mold. She was able to get maintenance to clean her room. But, the student did state that she suffered severe allergy symptoms to the mold before her room was cleaned.
Skylar Jennings
Mold found on the vent in the student’s room in Howard Plaza East Towers on September 21, 2021.
Skylar Jennings
An outlet in the hallway of Howard Plaza East Towers was found to have either black mold or a heavy amount of dust on October 21, 2021, despite the hallways being cleaned every day. On October 21, 2021, a student reportedly saw an outlet covered in what they thought to be mold or heavy dust on the fifth floor of Howard Plaza East Towers. A cleaning crew heavily cleans the hallways every day by vacuuming the floors, dusting, cleaning windows, and cleaning the elevators. This issue has yet to be reported to Howard and Corvias staff.
Skylar Jennings