The new freshman class has reported mold, rust, broken blinds and insects in both aging and brand new dorm buildings after just two weeks at the University.
The first phase of Mahoney-Pearson opened in 1958, composed of suite-style dorms and single rooms. After nearly 70 years, conditions have worsened to the point where students are reporting adverse effects on their health.
Pearson resident Leah Klein faced many issues when she arrived on campus, which she showed in a TikTok video on Aug. 12.
“Upon move-in day there was what appeared to be a build-up of black mold on the window sill, and I spent over an hour trying to clean it.” Klein said. “All of the blinds on my side of the room were cracked and broken and the safe in the closet was extremely rusty.”
Klein says that she experienced health problems soon after moving into her dorm.
“Not even three days into living in Pearson, I began to have coughing fits, and five days in I was struggling with my breathing,” Klein said.
According to the New York Department of Health, common signs of mold exposure include nasal congestion, eye irritation, wheezing and difficulty breathing, cough, throat irritation, skin irritation and headache. NYDH explains that humidity, like that in Miami, increases the risk of mold accumulation and stresses the importance of proper precautions to prevent and remove it.
Klein is prescribed Albuterol and steroid inhalers for asthma, which tends to only flare up when she is sick. Since moving into Pearson, she said her asthma has worsened.
“I feel like my asthma is constantly affecting my life. I think there is more mold in our dorm that isn’t visible that is triggering this asthmatic reaction,” she said.
Before housing was assigned, Klein submitted a request and doctors’ note to live in Centennial Village due to her asthma. The University did not accommodate her.
This is not the first incoming class to voice its concerns about the health risks of living in Mahoney-Pearson. Last year, many Mahoney-Pearson residents experienced trouble breathing, asthma and cold symptoms. Some of these cases may also reflect the so-called “freshman flu,” a wave of illness that commonly spreads during the first weeks of school as new students adjust to shared living spaces.
Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Housing Strategic Initiatives Richard Sobaram described how UM responds to the issue in an interview with The Hurricane.
“Every report of mold, mildew, air quality issues is thoroughly investigated with onsite inspection by our Facilities Department and Environmental Health & Safety, who has a certified mold inspector on staff and over the last four years, given dozens of reported cases of mold there has only been one instance where we found that we needed to do mold remediation.”
Other complaints from freshmen have been posted on TikTok. A user under the name @supercoooolgal posted a photo of an unidentified brown substance leaking out from under the ice machines in Pearson Residential College on Aug. 13, and Klein (@leahhhsspam) posted video footage of leftover hair on her dorm room floor.
Students in Mahoney-Pearson and University Village have reported ants, bees, worms and other dead bugs. Sobaram described the measures to prevent and control pests in the residential colleges.
“We do preventative pest control maintenance through our ABM contractor in janitorial services. They spray around all the buildings every 30-60 days I believe,” he said. “We also have reactive pest control which is available 24/7. So even if a student calls at 2 [a.m.], there is a two hour response time.”
Meanwhile, issues at Centennial Village have surfaced as UM has converted some large doubles into triples, according to multiple students. This measure attempts to accommodate more students in the new buildings, which should alleviate the number of residents living in older facilities such as Mahoney-Pearson and Eaton Residential Colleges.
“We are actually at 102% [housing] occupancy right now, with 70 students at THesis,” Sobaram said. “After we’ve addressed the facilities issue, if students are still not satisfied with it and want a room change, we try to accommodate them as soon as we can.”
Since UM housing has overflowed into the THesis building, room changes are only feasible if students move off campus. In past years, overflow freshmen were placed in THesis, but this year about 40% of Eaton Residential College – traditionally reserved for upperclassmen – has been allocated for first-year students.
The first phase of Centennial Village opened to students in the fall of 2024, as part of a long-term strategic housing plan, offering singles, doubles and large doubles. The two new buildings feature pod-style, communal bathrooms. Past residents of large doubles are surprised to hear that three students will now have to share that space.
Sophomore Lily Wendorf lived in a large double last year and believes that UM should have maintained those spaces for just two residents.
“My freshman roommate and I visited our dorm from last year and it honestly felt too crammed to be a triple,” Wendorf said.
Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Alumni Engagement Patricia Whitely said in a statement to The Hurricane that students consented to being placed into triples.
“All first year students were asked to indicate if they would like to be considered for a triple. Students did so and were assigned accordingly.”
The second phase of Centennial Village is set to open August 2026, finishing the development for a total of five buildings with 2,025 beds for freshmen. UM’s long-term strategic housing plan is responsible for the building upgrades, aiming to create a better first-year housing experience.
“[Centennial Village] will house 90 something percent of our first-year students, and then we will turn to Mahoney-Pearson and Eaton,” Sobaram said. “We don’t have the exact timeline yet, but we’re working to replace those buildings.”