13 students placed off campus by mold

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http://www.caller.com/2001/september/08/today/localnew/10851.html

Saturday, September 8, 2001

13 students placed off campus by mold

They will live in a motel, other apartments until A & M-CC solves problem

By A. Castro

Caller-Times

Tuley/Caller-Times

Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi students Steininger (left) and

share a room at the Railway Inn Suites motel on Ocean

Drive. The two are among 13 A & M-CC students temporarily moved off campus

because of mold in their dormitories.

Thirteen Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi students, expecting to live

in campus apartments this semester, were moved because of toxic mold.

Students who were supposed to live in either the Sandpiper or Driftwood

building were moved to the Railway Inn Suites at 4343 Ocean Drive before the

semester began.

" I was told by the provost that we are still studying the scope of work

that needs to be done, " said Lilly Janecek, director of public

affairs. " That has not been settled yet and we are looking to get them

housing elsewhere. "

Zak Sanderford, of New Braunfels, said he learned of the move about a

week before he arrived here.

" They told me, 'the rooms we are supposed to have you in are molded and

we are going to put you in a hotel for a while,' " Sanderford said. " They

said that by November 1, at the latest, they would move us out. "

of Austin said she was told that students would be

moved into a Camden Miramar apartment by the middle of September.

" The only problem is that a lot of those apartments are unfurnished and

none of us have any furniture, " said.

Janecek said Camden has a contract with the university and runs the

Miramar apartment complex on campus as well as other properties in the city.

Resident adviser Rhonda Lathrop, one of the 13 students placed at the

Railway Inn, told Janecek Friday that two students will be placed elsewhere

by the end of this weekend, Janacek said.

The university would not release information about where the students

would be moved.

" It's not that bad, but it's not what I wanted either, " said Sanderford.

" I like space that is my own and with a roommate, everything is in the

open. "

, who does not have a way to get to school, agreed.

" We have to find transportation and that is why we lived on campus,

because we didn't have cars, " she said. " We have a lot of stuff and there is

no room. The beds take up most of the room. "

Toxic mold was found on campus in March in Seabreeze Hall and about 70

faculty and staff were evacuated from their offices.

Four students also were moved in April from their campus apartments and

into the new Miramar apartment complex because of high levels of toxic mold.

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Contact A. Castro at 886-3758 or castrom@...