evacuation

Mold Forces More Than 100 Students Out of New School Dorm

Staff at the 13th Street Residence discovered mold in the dorm after they noticed one of the walls was damp, an email says

What to Know

  • A mold problem has forced The New School to move more than 100 residents out of a dormitory in Manhattan
  • Staff at the 13th Street Residence discovered there was mold in the dorm after they noticed one of the walls was damp
  • The school says it has no reason to believe the mold poses a health risk, and it hasn't received any reports of health issues

A mold problem has forced The New School to move more than 100 residents out of a dormitory in Manhattan, an email sent out by the university says.

Staff at the 13th Street Residence, between Sixth and Seventh avenues in Greenwich Village, discovered mold in the dorm after they noticed one of the walls was damp, the email says.

The university is moving all 161 residents out of the dorm and into other buildings “out of an abundance of caution,” the email notes.

“Although we have no reason to believe the mold is a health risk and we have received no reports from residents in the building of health issues that could be related to the mold, the mold is being tested,” the email says. “Unfortunately, we will not know the results of those tests for several weeks.”

The school believes the problem at the 13th Street Residence is an “isolated situation,” but says it plans to inspect all of its other dorms for mold.

Students told News 4 New York they were upset about the unexpected move.

“It’s not even normal. We’re paying so much for this... and now they’re moving me to 92nd Street, and my classes are all on 13th,” student Mira Siouffi said.

Undergraduate tuition at the school is around $23,000 per semester, according to the school’s website, while housing fees can surpass $20,000.

“We understand the inconvenience that this causes for members of our community, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that students have the space and resources they need to carry on their studies with as little disruption as possible,” the school said in its email.

News 4 has reached out to The New School for comment.

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