Students found mushrooms growing in the March Hall temporary modular housing unit Sunday. The mushrooms were removed by a facilities operations team member the day after the discovery.
Scott Kennedy, the director of facilities operations, said that the mushrooms were growing on the plywood floor between two washing machines.
“My assumption was that water from the washing machines maybe just pooled over there,” Kennedy said.
Lawrence Pear ’24, the residence advisor for March Hall, sent a work order to facilities Sunday evening after a resident notified him.
“I really appreciated their quick and tuned response,” Pear wrote in an email.
This is not the first time that fungal growth has been spotted in March Hall, which was supposed to be torn down five years ago. In May, a group of Lafayette students published a documentary that included footage of mushrooms in the building’s communal bathrooms. Black mold was also found in the housing unit last year.
According to Kennedy, students will no longer live in March Hall, commonly referred to as ”the mods,” after this spring due to the construction of McCartney Street Phase II.
“We have one more year we’re allowed to keep the modulars on-site with our agreement with the City of Easton,” Kennedy said.
The college has not decided if March Hall will be demolished this summer, according to Kennedy.
“You could use it for temporary offices or storage,” Kennedy said.
