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NEWS WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM Black mold rumors are unfounded, dorms toxin-free BY REESE SETZER Staff Writer The last thing anyone living in a college dorm wants to hear about is the possibility of mold growing somewhere in their living space, particularly if it is black mold. Recently, an anon)unous tip reported the possibility of blade mold growing in Binford Hall. 'The reports are not true," said Binford Hall Director Brian Daniel in an email interview. "If there was, we would alert the residents immediately and take appropriate actions from the administration." Black mold is a toxic mold that commonly shows up in living spaces. The mold is a greenish-black color with a typically slimy look. It grows best in warm conditions where there has been a significant water leak. The most common place to find it growing would be in bathrooms where water is most present. The danger with black mold is the mycotoxins in it that can be breathed in which can cause toxic disease and death in humans and animals. With the speculation of possible black mold. The Guilfordian dedded to investigate particular areas of Binford. After checking extensively throughout the dorm, we were unable to find any evidence of black mold in the building. During this investigation, a I if- - j- ..-V'-- ' » f 7- ■ 1^^ c Mildew Mildew is harmless. It is commonly found growing in areas that are consistently damp and the surrounding air is warm. High humidity increases the likelihood that mildew will form. • V n I o -n 3 Black mold Black mold is toxic, it is greenish-black and appears slimy. It is commonly found growing in warm conditions where there has been a significant water leak. It has not been found on campus. student who had a problem with mold in .his room earlier this year shared his experience. "In my room, there was a leaking pipe in the wall where a column had to be removed," said first-year student Patrick Volk. 'The mold was a greenish-white color, so I am pretty sure it would not have been black mold." Mold, particularly mildew, is common in a state as humid as North Carolina. Because of the amoimt of moisture that can accumulate during the summer, mold is certainly a probable outcome in just about any building "Bryan Hall in the past has had some problems with rnildew," said Coordinator of Housing Operations Maria Hayden. "Last summer there was a lot of work done in (Bryan) to fix some ventilation issues causing this mildew." Bryan Hall is not the only residential area that had issues with mold on campus. "Last year, in my room, we had mold that grew in our air conditioner that caused our room to smell," ^aid sophomore , and former Milner Hall resident Ben Winstead. "We filed a work order, and it did get fixed, but the mold grew back a few months later." These types of issues are common on most college campuses. The minor issues seen on Guilford's campus are nothing compared to what Miranda Green, a writer for The Daily Beast, reports in her article "George Washington University's Housing Horrors." "Mushrooms in the bathroom, black mold in the showers and water damage leaking from walls were just a few of the many issues the two non-GW students complained of while staying in graduate school housing in a building called Aston Hall,"said Green in her article. Despite the lack of evidence behind black mold on campus, students should be cautious and aware in their residential halls of any type of mold they may come upon. If it is found, immediately let a residential advisor or the hall director know. "If a student thinks there is a health issue, we want to make them feel safe and comfortable," said Hayden. "If there are real concerns out there that have not been addressed, we would love to know about them." SENATE MEETINGS ARE ON MONDAYS @ 7 P.M. BOREN LOUNGE (FOUNDERS) I 'xm m M *■ CONTACT US Have an idea? Concern? Great recipe? It’s important to us. Community asb tough questious at fonim with Diversity Plan Committee "Going forward. I'd like us to think of inclusion as something integral to excellence... not just this add-on thing." Emily Lott, assistant director for student leadership and engagement Compiled by Nicole Zelniker, senior writer BY BANNING WATSON Staff Writer On Oct. 29, the co-chairs of the Diversity Plan Committee held an open forum to air the grievances and suggestions of community members deeply involved with diversity. It recently became known that the Diversity Plan would not meet its intended deadline of 2015, but the committee hopes their work will continue beyond that date. The central questions of the forum were about accomplishments Guilford College can celebrate, areas that are still incomplete and additional work needed to create a multicultural and anti-racist college environment. The majority of the conversation focused on what is lacking in the Guilford community. "We have a lot of refugee students coming in, and they don't seem to be receiving proper support," said Andrew Young, volunteer training coordinator at the Bonner Center. "These kids need more reading and writing help, and if they are only able to get into the Learning Commons twice a week, that's inadequate." Melissa Frink, director of the Learning Commons, supported this opinion and identified a lack of resources as part of the problem. "I think we're at a place where we need to decide who we are as a community," said Frink. "(If) we're handing students the promise of an education here, (and) it is on us to put in place those, necessary supports, and the supports we already have are stretched to their natural limits. We're at the total point of saturation." Jos^ Oliva, sophomore Senate president and project coordinator at the Bonner Center, noted the personal difficulties of being an international student at Guilford and the lack of diverse faculty. "Guilford is moving forward into diversity, and we need to start changing our services," said Oliva. "I started looking for Latino faculty on campus and didn't find any, and that's just sad. Latino students coming to Guilford are going to feel disconnected. A lot of Latino students I know are dealing with depression and with trauma and having that diverse staff could make the difference." Emily Lott, assistant director for student leadership and engagement, noted the importance of inclusion. "Going forward. I'd like us to think of inclusion as something integral to excellence ... not just this add-on thing," said Lott. "We really need to start thinking about whose voice is not being heard. I think that it is an asset of who we are and encompasses a lot of those core values we talk about all the time. If we could really lift inclusion up structurally it could make a lot of difference." Not many solutions were offered, but Rick Williams, human resources director, suggested that tough decisions be made. "Change is the big thing," said Williams. "We, as an organization, need to be as adaptable and respectful as we can be. We need faculty and students that allow us to grow intellectually and culturally. That's going to lead us to some clearly petrifying decisions, snapping us out of doing things a certain way or cutting programs that maybe we don't need anymore. That's where the money will come from."
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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