Ohio State University student senators call for transparency from administration

Mar 01, 2025

We continue to follow the call for change on Ohio State University campuses as students say dorms have become a health hazard.

Water leakage in the Lawrence dorm tower sparked an outcry from parents and students over potential mold in university halls.

Ohio State says they have found no health or safety concerns, but students say otherwise.

“It’s a general consensus no one wants to live with a room that has black mold in it or a mushroom growing inside of it,” said Freshman and OSU Senator Armaan Chaudhary. “Any type of mold, black mold or fungal growth or anything that’s happening in these dorms needs to be addressed immediately to the student body. It is a health concern.”

Chris Cade and Armaan Chaudhary are university senators who are now calling the university to address student concerns in Lawrence Tower and to relocate all students inside the building.

During a student government meeting Wednesday evening, they said they brought a resolution for the university to address concerns.

They also want more transparency from the university to address potential mold across all dorms.

“Students should be able to feel safe and feel healthy in their own dorms because that’s what they’re paying for and that’s part of getting an education is that their health isn’t at risk,” said Chaudhary.

Concerns over mold growth in one of Ohio State University’s dorm towers sent dozens of students packing in Lawrence Tower. Word has spread fast around campus of 40 students being moved to different dorms after students reported seeing mushrooms and mold growth in their dorms, prompting the university to release this statement:

“In the press release, they said they were moving students was a result of a water leak, and I simply don’t believe that’s true. Of course, that’s one contributing factor. It doesn’t get to the root of the problem, which is the fungal growth, which is the peeling wallpaper,” said Cade.

Freshman Jack Karzynow has seen mold growth in the bathroom, which he shares with multiple people in Morrill Tower.

“The conditions aren’t really good. We have to clean our own bathroom. It depends on room to room, but there’s definitely mold that builds up there,” he said.

Cade and Chaudhary are hoping the university will offer frequent deep cleaning services to shared restrooms to reduce the risk of mold exposure.

“You can’t expect students to just be ok living with an environment that has black mold or don’t have the knowledge to clean that,” said Chaudhary.

Student senators say the next steps are to work with university administration to build transparency.

We reached out to Ohio State University.

They released a statement: