The discovery of a water leak and black mold in Olson Hall during the month of October forced 27 Luther students to move to other rooms or residence halls on campus prior to fall break.
Assistant Director of Facilities Services Miranda McCay (‘16) said that issues of mold in Olson were as a result of water leak in communal showers, and that all identified mold was removed quickly when it was brought to the attention of Facilities. She also clarified that the Facilities office was not aware of the extent of the problem before students moved in at the beginning of fall semester.
“Over the summer, the showers do not run to the extent that they do during the school year so the scope of the leak was unknown until the building was full and showers were being used multiple times a day,” McCay said.
McCay also stated that an outside contractor will be brought in, with the goal of determining where the problem areas are in the Olson showers. They will then come up with a plan to reseal, to prevent any leaking from the showers above. The Olson Hall relocation comes less than a year after another Luther residence hall experienced damage; last December a water pipe burst in Brandt West, which led to the relocation of approximately 120 first-year students.
Some students and parents of students criticized how Facilities Services and other members of Luther administration responded to the issue. Sophie Yakes (‘25) submitted a Letter to the Editor to CHIPS that was published on October 10, criticizing Facilities for “actively ignoring” requests for maintenance and concerns of Olson residents.
Additionally, an email to both President Jenifer K. Ward and Director of Facilities Services Jay Uthoff was forwarded to CHIPS on October 25, in which parents of an Olson resident who wish to remain anonymous requested the college “make the necessary repairs to the female bathrooms” in Olson. They specifically identified that bathrooms on both wings of the 2nd floor required maintenance due to mold.
“As parents of a Luther student, we trust Luther College will ensure the offering of a top-notch education as well as take steps to ensure the reasonable safety and health of our daughter,” the parents wrote in an email. “Please take immediate action to rectify the health and safety [issues] currently present in the bathrooms.”
In the email, the parents provided an issue reporting timeline allegedly created by their student, who is a resident of Olson Hall. The student-reported timeline states that during the first week of the fall semester students living on Olson 2nd West filed numerous Fixit requests to Facilities. Two weeks later, residents received an email from their Resident Assistant instructing them to use the bathroom on 2nd East instead, with particular emphasis on avoiding the 2nd West showers.
The parents did receive an email response from Uthoff, in which he apologized for inconveniences and said that bathroom and sink areas in Olson 2nd West were available for use, as they were separated from the showers. The parent email and response from Uthoff can be seen below.
Assistant Dean of Student Engagement and Director of Residence Life Kris Franzen said that 24 of the 27 students have been moved into other residence halls, including Dieseth and Miller Hall, Farwell Hall, Larsen Hall and the College Apartments. The remaining three students were moved to other rooms in Olson Hall. Students were offered assistance from Facilities in moving to their new rooms, and a majority of students completed their move prior to fall break.
Franzen, who has worked in housing for 25 years, said that she had not had to relocate floors of Students prior to the Brandt Hall evacuation last December.
“It is hard for students to relocate from their floors that have already built community and for students to have to relocate during the semester,” Franzen said. “It is not ideal for anyone. However, the students we worked with in the office were understanding of the unfortunate circumstances of having to relocate.”
