Mold Forces Fraternity to Evacuate

Lexington, KY – The students living in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house will be looking for new places to live because of some recently discovered mold, UK officials said.

“We’re in the process of cleaning,” said Gail Hairston, a UK spokeswoman. “The students will evacuate while experts clean and repair the cause (of the mold). It’s really not safe for them to be in there (while the cleaning is going on).”

Hairston said 46 students are living in the house. The students will have three weeks to find a new residence and will most likely be out of the house until the beginning of the spring semester. Hairston said that UK is “definitely going to help them move.”

The university will let the students know where on-campus housing is available and students who decide to move off-campus will be released from their UK housing contracts, Hairston said. “We’re going to find as many on-campus locations as possible for those who want them,” she said, adding that all students from the SAE house will have the choice of moving on or off campus.

The university is planning an informational meeting for the residents at the SAE house at 7 p.m. today.

Hairston said they know where the mold is, but are not quite sure how it got started. “I’m not sure, but it’s pretty extensive,” she said. Workers will have to tear out some of the ductwork to fix the problem, she said.

“The mold is in the heating and air ducts, but we’ve got to figure out where the moisture is getting in, where it’s coming from,” she said. “Because the moisture is what causes the mold.”

Author: Carolyn Willbanks