Asbestos, bats and frozen pipes are problems some students living on campus encountered as they returned for winter quarter, despite the work of contractors hired over the break.
The issues in DU's 45-year-old Centennial Halls and Centennial Towers residence halls are ongoing, said Justin Price, director of Housing and Residential Education. Halls is a freshman dormitory and Towers now houses sophomores.
Asbestos is a common problem in buildings built in the 1950s and 1960s, said Price. The mineral is known to have toxicity and can cause illnesses like lung cancer if inhaled regularly over a long period of time, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The only time we'd have a problem with it is if we're drilling into walls, which we're not doing right now," Price said. "We are more invested in being careful than anybody because we don't want to endanger students."
Students were informed by e-mail about the asbestos problem. Testing is completed prior to any remodeling work in the building to ensure students are not harmed by asbestos.
Bats inside buildings on campus have also caused some anxiety, although they are not uncommon in Denver.
The little brown bats have been spotted across campus, not just in the crevices in the ceiling of Halls, and are harmless to humans unless carrying rabies. According to the CDC, there have been no cases of human rabies reported in Colorado since 1931.
"We've had professionals come in to treat it and have sealed places where they have seen bats," he said. "It's migratory time for bats so they're gone now."
Exterminators were brought in during the bats' migratory season to ensure that no bats were accidentally sealed in the building.
The piping systems in Halls and Towers have also caused safety concerns and a few recent flooding events.
"We had a pipe burst in Halls, mostly steam, some water, on the evening of Dec. 15, and that was extracted immediately," Price said. "We did change carpet in a couple of rooms, but no student property was damaged."
Broken sprinkler heads have also caused minor water damage, particularly during move-in in September. Freezing pipes in the winter months are another common cause of flooding.
"Last year, a student in Towers left their window open over break and a deep freeze froze the pipes," Price said.
The identities of students who reported flooding were not disclosed.
Despite hiring contractors to address each of these problems, some students still feel uncomfortable about the safety of Halls.
"Being from Houston, I see bats all the time, so I'm kind of indifferent," said freshman Dani Rauch, a resident of Centennial Halls, floor 10 North. "But the asbestos kind of freaks me out."
Students with housing safety or security concerns should notify a maintenance or custodial staff member or contact HRE at 303.871.2246.
