Mold in college campus dorms can cause students to experience breathing problems, skin sensitivity and hair loss.

The University of South Carolina has been dealing with mold in dorms for several years. An investigative collaboration between the Post and Courier newspaper of Charleston and The Daily Gamecock student-run newspaper in October 2022 found that more than 840 mold complaints had been made in on-campus dorms the previous two years.

Freshman Braelen Furgeson said it’s still a problem. This semester, she said, she has experienced hair loss, sickness and fatigue since moving into her dorm, Patterson Hall.

“It’s crazy – my roommate has experienced skin breakouts, and I’ll pull clumps of my hair out of the shower,” Ferguson said. “It’ll cause me a mental panic attack.”

Ferguson reported the issues to her dorm’s resident assistant. Maintenance employees came and removed some of the mold, but there was still an overwhelming amount left, she said. It was so bad that she considered an emergency move-out.

Mold is a common problem in the heat and humidity of the South. The school in the past has attributed mold issues to outdated dorms and infrastructure. But several mold cases this year have occurred in newer dorms.

Campus Village, which opened on the campus’ south side in 2023 with four dorms, recently has been dealing with mold. Freshmen Kate Jones, Maddy Veit, Katie Tucker and Rebekah Louden all live in Campus Village and experience mold.

Veit said there was mold near her shower head where the water comes out.

It “had like an inch of mold on the bottom … it was disgusting,” Veit said.

She said that when she showers, she sneezes 10-plus times.

“I’m showering, and I go under the ridge of the shower, and it’s just black comes out, causing me to sneeze,” Veit said.

The school has tried to address each complaint thoroughly, said Collyn Taylor, USC’s internal communications manager.

He said the school takes mold issues in its residence halls seriously and has recently upgraded its maintenance management system to be more efficient, and its responses, more timely.

The campus housing department has reinvested funds to upgrade residence halls to “continue creating a first-class living environment,” he said.

The school also just approved its USC Next master plan, which includes renovating older residence halls on campus, where mold is more likely to occur, he said. USC Next includes construction of a new residence hall in campus core and potential upgrades or renovations to Capstone, Columbia Hall and other halls around campus.

The school recommends students take precautionary steps to prevent mold’s growth, such as not blocking airflow vents, leaving the air on in rooms and making sure wet towels or clothing are properly stored.

The university encourages students to go to the school’s housing department’s “healthy living environment” webpage for more tips on mold issues.