Picture courtesy of Hofstra Residence Life. // Students have expressed concerns over the air conditioning units in Hofstra’s residential buildings.

Air conditioning units in Hofstra residential buildings concern students who fear that they may be causing respiratory issues. 

 Based upon electronic surveys and phone interviews conducted among 19 students living on campus, seven students living in Colonial Square, the Netherlands and Nassau Hall indicated  they have experienced sickness and respiratory issues, symptoms which they believe are due to the air conditioning systems on campus. These findings come as 3,500 students in campus housing have returned to Hofstra with reduced coronavirus-related restrictions for the fall. 

 “My roommates have just been sick,” said Izzy Evaristo, a senior psychology major. “One has a sinus infection [and] one has been coughing like crazy.” 

 Evaristo described the conditions of the air conditioning unit. 

 “The air coming out of my A/C smells like musty feet,” Evaristo said. “When I put the heat on, it smells like burning hair.” 

 Evaristo also said that her air conditioning system was recently fixed but that it still had an odd smell. “They found that [the air conditioning unit] was really dirty, it could have been mold.”  

 A resident of Colonial Square who requested anonymity due to the potential pursuit of litigation also claimed to have mold in their unit. 

 “For weeks I had a cough ... I was talking to a friend that had a similar cough [and] they said they had mold in their room. I ended up finding mold in my bathroom, ceiling, under my bed and in my AC unit,” the Colonial Square resident said. 

 One student was hospitalized due to poor air quality in the dorms. 

 “We had to bring a roommate to the ER,” said Andrew Parkany, a freshman finance major and Netherlands resident. “I almost had to go too because of the combination of poor air quality and our asthma. We couldn’t breathe.” 

 Two additional Netherlands residents experienced problems with their air conditioning. 

 “We could see dust in both AC units,” said Ben Ferrante, a freshman finance major.  

 Andrew Knudsen, a freshman finance major and Ferrante’s roommate, said they have experienced respiratory issues and believe it might be due to the air quality in the rooms. 

 Several students who were surveyed indicated that they regularly took allergy medicine.  

 “Air conditioning sickness starts where air conditioners and bacteria, fungi, mold and mildew meet,” according to Moore Heating, an Alaska-based HVAC service company. “[In a] regularly unvacuumed space, an air conditioner will only circulate the sickness-inducing allergens that are already present.” 

 Every summer, HVAC units in residence halls receive a routine servicing, which includes cleaning, disinfecting and replacing filters, according to Karla Schuster, assistant vice president of the Office of University Relations. 

  “We did not install any new HVAC units in the residence halls this summer,” Schuster said. “We encourage any student with concerns about the HVAC unit in their room or building [to] file a work order request or contact the Office of Residence Life, which will investigate the issue and take the appropriate action.” 

 Students can file a work order request through their Hofstra online portal to address any dorm malfunctions they may have. 

 Vice President for facilities and operations, Joseph Barkwill, acknowledged that mold was present in certain dorms but that such instances were typical throughout a semester and that Hofstra always places it as “a top priority” to eradicate mold.  

 “We use mold inhibitors in all our paint,” Barkwill said. “We have looked at all of our supplies for the last 20 years. We had the same provider of cleaning materials over the last four years ... we didn’t see anything [that could cause health issues] in terms of cleaning.” 

 On the South side of campus, actions are being taken to improve the air quality in the buildings.  

 “In academic buildings, as a COVID-19 measure, we are bringing in 100% outside air to all rooms that have building units, so we get more air exchange in the building. That means we are also potentially bringing more allergens into the building,” Barkwill said. “We do use Merv-13 filters throughout the building ... high-efficiency filter[s] that [are] hospital-grade for bacteria and viruses.” 

 Barkwill urged students with issues to contact the Offices of Residence Life, Facilities and Operations or the Physical Plant.