Chillers being repaired, replaced
Since mid-July, the university has been experiencing problems with the air conditioning along with an ongoing mold issue in the Department of Art, Communications and Theatre (ACT), and several other buildings on campus.
“This isn’t the first time it happens,” Associate Professor Jesus De La Rosa said. “It’s been here since 2008. This is the most it has happened.”
TAMUK’s campus is cooled by chilled water and when temperatures increase during the summer, so do the mold issues in some facilities. ACT has been speaking and working with TAMUK’s Physical Plant Department to make sure everything is cleaned up the best that it can be until they can resolve the larger issue with the cooling.
The university is working to correct the issue.
“We are currently in the process of repairing and replacing those chillers and their components,” Director of Marketing and Communication Adriana Garza said.
The university is working to fix the continuing mold and air conditioning problem in certain areas on campus as staff and faculty push for these matters to be addressed quickly and effectively.
“The ongoing pandemic has caused significant, nation-wide supply chain disruptions that are impacting most areas of construction and maintenance,” Garza said. “As a result, we are unable to give a projected completion date for the Central Plant 1 repairs at this time.”
Some faculty, staff and students have been personally affected by the situation. The growing mold has caused professors like De La Rosa to experience headaches, throat problems and other health issues. Adjunct Professor Omar Antonio Gonzalez has also encountered an office full of mold covering many of his personal belongings.
“The items that were covered in mold included two work aprons, an art portfolio, a camera bag, office chair, art materials, books, large pieces of personal artwork and the list goes on,” Gonzalez said.
The items that were heavily affected were bagged and left in his office with no initial explanation or response by the university for days, Gonzalez said.
The mold has also affected some areas more than others, some faculty cannot work in their offices or set up their classrooms. Another issue facing the Department is an ongoing air conditioning outage. Some classes with permission have been relocated because of this issue.
“It’s difficult to pay attention in class because you’re more worried on being hot than anything else. It’s even affected me to the point where I worry about what I wear just to feel comfortable,” senior Communications and Theatre student Julian Castaneda said.
Professors who have stayed in their humid classrooms are concerned for the wellbeing of their students and their attentiveness.
“I worry more about my students. Concentration levels probably for both professors and students are challenged,” Lecturer Dr. Dianne Brown said.
Some concerns have been raised regarding the university’s response to the issue.
“I would say the issue falls more towards the university rather than the individual department. The fact that it took a whole week to respond to ‘essentially deal’ with the problem myself is concerning,” Gonzalez said.