It does apply. Especially with disclosing actions or requests for your daughter. And even if it did, why are you infantilizing your daughter? She’s in college and you’re the middle man. Let the person experiencing the problem go directly to the person who will provide the solution. She should be able to talk to someone in person about this or write the emails herself. I know you want to be a proactive parent but you should let her address this herself. She’s a big girl now.
Wow… says the 18 year old with one month of college under her belt. When it comes to health risks in a dorm, there is NO legal FERPA rule that keeps a parent from talking to a dean of res life. That is one area where parents should step In if there are health risks. Few 18 year olds know anything about the risks if there is a true mold issue, nor would they be likely to go to a dean for resolution.
Not sure where the school is, but if the weather permits, I would open the windows and put a fan in the window. A constant supply of fresh air won’t solve a mold problem but it will keep the levels down in the breathable air. This could provide some relief until it is all sorted out.
Also, contacting the health department to find out what your options are could be helpful. Those folks generally have great authority to investigate if they feel it is warranted.
My son never had an issue with a mold allergy until he went to college. When he could not shake the congestion and cold last year, and the student health center kept saying he had a virus, I took action. I spent spring break (I am a teacher in another state) taking him to a lung specialist. He tested my son for all sorts of allergies, and mold came back positive. When he was home for the summer, he was fine. He has returned to school, and yes, the mold issue has returned. He believes there could be a problem with the AC where he lives, so he filed a work order. No response. So he told me he will file them weekly. My husband offered to contact the school, but he does not want us involved.
Interesting theory. A smell still doesn’t confirm the presence of mold.
Even biochemists will test to confirm.
Yes, it is. That is why the recommendation was to contact the Housing Office so they can do the necessary work to confirm.
This isn’t a minor issue. Mold can cause MAJOR health problems. I lived in a house for a year and a half before we moved out where I was constantly sick. Literally, constantly. I missed an entire semester of middle school because I missed so much school. Cause? Mold in the basement. It was so extensive that we moved rather than attempt to deal with the problem.
As this is a health issue, I absolutely believe parents should be involved. Young people are notoriously bad about advocating for their health (not that adults are much better) and it absolutely something that should not be ignored.
Is there a health center on campus by chance? They also might be worth reaching out to.
Our school district had a library that leaked and developed mold that was causing health problems for the elementary kids and staff. After trying mitigation, it ended up being a teardown. Serious issue.
Even though biochemists do run tests to confirm, many people who work with bacteria and fungi can identify various types by smell.
Home Depot sells a mildew test kit for $10. We are dealing with this at my D’s dorm, and the college is not responsive to student complaints. I sent my D a test kit and hoping she can get a sample and get it sent off.
I think you need more proof before moving forward.
I would contact Housing and request that they test for mold and/or move the student to a different dorm. It is a serious issue. A friend’s daughter needed sinus surgery and has had health (mostly respiratory) issues for over a year due to living with dorm room mold. In an ideal world, 18 year old adults would deal with this on their own. However, in the real world students are often given the brush-off by university administration. I know my friend’s daughter got absolutely nowhere. It took a lot of persistence on the part of her parents to get her moved. For something like this, I see absolutely no problem with a parent getting involved.
If your daughter gets no response on her own, I definitely think a parent should get involved. Test the dorm as others have suggested. Might make a good article for the student paper with the test results, if positive. That will get some attention. I’d get your daughter on it ASAP, and I’d skip the RA and go to the head of Residential Life as well as the person in charge of Facilities. Good life lesson on how and when to be a squeaky wheel.
Absolutely get involved and be a squeaky wheel. It matters less that there is a smell and more that your daughter and others are having respiratory issues. That is significant! Do something today!
On another note, we do all we can to teach our kids everything before they turn 18 and go away to college, but we don’t get it all in. On my D’s 18th birthday, I didn’t throw her to the wolves and say “My work here is done.” I’m still available to fight like heck for her when need be. Potential mold issues are serious and I know my D wouldn’t know to fight on this one. I am not micromanaging her in her first 6 weeks of college (classes, homework, $, etc), but on this issue, I’d be making lots of calls!
Wow, this talk of multiple kids in multiple dorms running into mold is scaring me. Since D already has a compromised respiratory system, I’m going to have to have her be especially vigilant when she goes to college next year. She has already stayed in several dorms in several states without a problem, but I had no idea it was widespread.
Calicash, sometimes we need to let our kids do their own advocacy, but after spending many, many nights in urgent care with a daughter who thought she was dying, if a possible mold problem comes up in her dorm next year, you can bet her dad or I will get involved.
Stay on this, OP. Let us know what happens.
@twinmom15 This happened to us. I too always noticed the odor when my S brought home his laundry. After closer inspection you could see the mold on the cinder block walls. As soon as the school was notified, they took appropriate action - cleaned the walls with bleach, set up dehumidifiers etc. He stayed in the same dorm for 2 years. I bought him a humidistat to measure the humidity in his room (after we figured out what was going on). It had an alarm that would sound if it reached a certain level.
Mold is a real issue. I would definitely contact housing as soon as possible. Don’t leave it up to your student. This is serious.
Mold problems can be a difficult battle to fight even for parents. For the elementary school library I mentioned, parents tried for a year to get changes made. Some just exempted their kids from going to the library. They did get some press, but not a lot. Then a family moved to the school with a parent who was a lawyer with experience in the area. They got professional testing done and sent lawyer letters. The school board moved pretty quickly after that. (It was a portable building, so tearing it down and rebuilding was cheaper than gutting the inside walls and ceiling.)
I think the students should try first, preferably all the ones who are suffering as a group. But if they get nowhere, absolutely parents can get involved.
The problem is, that the presence of mold, aside from a prior flooding incident, usually indicates something is wrong with the building construction and operation.
Sometimes it is just needing a (or a bigger) dehumidifier.
@ twinmom15 you should do a search for “mold” on the school’s website. You can find out if they have a plan in place to deal with mold. You may find an article in the student newspaper that this problem has been prevalent for years without remediation.
A friend’s daughter lived in a dorm with serious mold issues several years ago. I did a search on their website and students are still complaining about the mold. The cost of attendance: $65k.