Ohio State students leaving Lawrence Tower dorms after finding mold, mushrooms

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- An Ohio State University residence hall where mold and mushrooms were found will not house students next semester, impacting close to 500 students.

It was announced in an email to students from the university Thursday night. The email once again did not acknowledge claims of mold or mushrooms. Last week, the university said a water leak was to blame.

"Looking ahead to spring semester, we anticipate ongoing renovations will be required," the email from OSU read. "Understanding that this may require additional temporary relocation of residents and potential continued disruption to those living in Lawrence Tower, we will not be utilizing the building for housing in spring semester."

The email went on to list on-campus and off-campus housing options for students. Students can also elect to cancel their housing contract altogether or remain there for the semester as long as it's safe, as determined by Columbus Public Health and a third-party company hired by the university.

The residence hall was busy Friday with parents and students moving their belongings out. Students like Andon Graham and Lindsay Jermain said they have mixed emotions. Many said they're relieved that the university is taking action and getting them out of the building. 

"That's the best thing they can do," Jermain said. "They should've shut it down a long time ago honestly."

Though students said they're still upset they had to deal with the mess in the first place, especially around the holidays and exam week. 

"We made some friends up here on the floor and now maybe being split up from your roommate, the possibility of that, kind of sucks," Graham said. 

Both students are opting to move out. Jermain said she's been sick with what she's calling the 'mold cold' since she first moved in. 

"We had it on the ceiling of our bathroom and my dad had to come and spray bleach to get rid of it," Jermain said. "And then you could see it coming out of our wallpaper. And we had someone come test and pull wallpaper back and there was a lot there."

Her mother, Shannon Jermain, took the day off work Friday to help move her into an off-campus apartment. Jermain said they've taken a financial hit. They've had to replace quite a bit because mold spores are attracted to anything textile-related.

"Think about any clothes that you have, anything that's made of wood or cardboard," Jermain said. "All of the mold spores don't go away so all of her pillows had to be thrown away, her mattress topper had to be thrown away."

However, Jermain said she's relieved after last night's update from the university.

"I feel like they are making it right now and they can fix this, and they can move on and we can all get past this nightmare that we've been going through for the past week and a half," Jermain said.

According to the university, the decision will minimize further disruptions to residents' student experience, while also facilitating ongoing renovations. The university is also offering all Lawrence Tower residents a credit to their account.