Kennedy Hall residents were notified on Jan. 9. that they would not be living in their assigned housing this semester due to levels of mold being detected inside.

According to its website, the issue was discovered when University Housing had a second party conduct an examination on the building to prepare for future renovation.

The primary focus of these renovations was to replace the heating ventilation and air conditioning system, according to the website. 

The mold issue could not be properly handled before the semester began. The final decision to close Kennedy Hall was made on Jan. 7, a day after the mold was discovered.

Students living in Kennedy Hall have been relocated to various on and off-campus housing facilities such as currently empty rooms on campus and apartments such as Axis Student Living. This will come at no charge to the students and Georgia Southern University staff has been helping students move their belongings to their new accommodations.

“The mold issue in Kennedy is a problem but I’m glad they caught it and are providing accommodations for students affected. I’m glad they went the safe route and moved us elsewhere while taking care of it,” Cameron Matis, freshman engineering major, said.

Peter Blutreich, executive director of University Housing, oversaw the outreach to displaced students and stressed the vigilance of the housing department in maintenance of all living facilities.

“We track all our work orders and so this was a surprise as far as the issues involving the mold behind the walls. It’s an older building, it really runs and functions rather well, it’s just an older building,” Blutreich said. “When we saw something we didn’t like we had to investigate it.”

At this time it is uncertain when Kennedy Hall will open again, although it will most likely be after the spring semester.

For updates and further information on the relocation process, visit auxiliary.georgiasouthern.edu/housing/kennedyrelocation/ for more details.

Nathan Weaver contributed to this article.

Kyle Clark, The George-Anne Assistant News Editor, ganewsed@georgiasouthern.edu