Water damage has been found in the International Student Affairs Office. The issue is being resolved, but not without some inconvenience to the employees. “We are running over each other,” said Amy Miller, Study Abroad coordinator. “There was nowhere to put the furniture. Our files are everywhere. What can you do?”
In mid-November, the afternoon cleaning staff noticed a white film developing under a clear, plastic office mat. When the mat was pulled up, a mildew-type substance was found along with damp carpet.
The mat was bleached and the area cleaned, then left to dry out. However, the problems returned when the mat was put back down. This process was repeated several times.
Eventually, concerns about health issues were raised while the mildew and threat of mold was in the office. The employee whose cubicle housed the mat made the decision to move across the hall until the problem was resolved.
“She had been suffering from bronchitis and couldn’t get over it,” Miller said. “[The mildew] certainly didn’t help.”
Upon inspection by Miller and her coworkers, the damage seemed to be confined to that one area.
“We are on the bottom floor on concrete. There are no pipes under us,” Miller said, confused about what could be causing the water issues.
When maintenance was called in, the problem was attributed to a seam in the concrete that needed to be refilled. Water was seeping from the ground through the seam, causing the carpet to get wet and mildew to form.
In the past week, maintenance crews began working in the office. The seam will be refilled and the carpet replaced with tile. This will prevent the problem from happening again.
“It needed to be done anyway,” Miller said.
Miller said the construction is to be completed within the next week.
