Mold mystery unfolds

By Andrea Vukcevic
Features Editor

When Dr. Frank Trapp peeked behind the unglued wallpaper in his office and discovered black mold, it confirmed what he smelled for years.

He was told bleaching and repainting the walls would alleviate his bronchitis and chronic cough.

“It was like I was in a hurricane of mold,” he said.

On Thursday Oct. 16, the Dial Building was closed after a report confirmed the presence of 17 types of airborne mold, including the potentially toxic Stachybotrys spore.

Administrators scrambled to find substitute classrooms and department headquarters over Fall Break, using every spare room on campus including library offices and the Pine Hall Lounge. Students arriving at Dial on Monday were greeted with yellow caution tape, chained doors and pages of classroom changes posted on windows.

Chancellor Meadors held an information session on Wednesday, Oct. 22 to update faculty and staff on the situation.

“For most of us, [mold] is not a day-to-day nuisance but for some, it is,” Meadors said.

He attributed the problems in Dial to poor construction that allowed rain to seep through windows and run down the walls. It will likely be Fall 2004 before the building will reopen and every building on campus will be similarly tested in the coming year.

At the information session, several people voiced health concerns they believed were caused by mold, and many in the audience noticed Trapp’s persistent cough.

“He couldn’t stop,” said student Kelly Griffith. “That’s all I heard. I could barely hear the chancellor.”

Examination behind the sheet rock in Trapp’s office on October 7 revealed mold and evidence of moisture all the way to the brick. Trapp bought a disposable camera and emailed photographs to Meadors.

“The chancellor took immediate action and I was impressed with the extent of his efforts,” Trapp said.
Trapp said he has lived and worked all over the world and is not particularly sensitive or allergic to mold, it was simply the high concentration of mold in his office that made him sick.

He had strep throat due to mold in the spring but was healthy soon after leaving campus. When he returned to his office this fall, he developed a chronic cough within two weeks and now has asthmatic bronchitis.

The Stachybotrys spore is a mycotoxin and related to malfunction of the immune system. Symptoms include cold and flu-like symptoms, sore throat, diarrhea, headaches, fatigue and general malaise, according to a University of Minnesota website.

Professors formerly housed in Dial said mold was discovered in other offices in June and August, and were surprised at the abruptness of the recent closure.

Trapp said his students have adapted quite well to the changes and said he is confident that under Meadors’ leadership, there will not be similar management lapses in the future.

“I just want to get better,” he said.