About 60 freshmen at Saint Vincent College are being shuffled out of their dorm rooms as crews work through Saint Benedict Hall fixing moisture damage tied back to a roof leak from severe weather in September. The college expects the remediation work to wrap up by November 20, with crews moving through the building one pod at a time.
Saint Benedict Hall is Saint Vincent College's freshman residence hall, according to TribLIVE.com, which first reported the relocation. The Unity, Pennsylvania campus traced the problem back to September, when severe weather events caused the hall's roof to leak, according to college spokesperson Joseph Bell. Students reported moisture issues in the building in October, and the college says it has since identified the problem on the fourth floor specifically.
How the College Is Responding
Saint Vincent College has already repaired the affected section of the roof and initiated testing and assessment that includes dehumidification and air scrubbing, per Bell. The school is working with a professional remediation company to address the moisture in the fourth-floor area, and Bell said the pace and scope of student relocations are being guided by testing results and recommendations from remediation professionals.
Rather than moving everyone at once, the college plans to remediate Saint Benedict Hall one pod or section at a time. The dorm's pod system groups residents of 16 to 24 students who share a section based on study habits, interests and sleep schedules, per Bell — a structure confirmed by the college's own campus living page, which describes Saint Benedict Hall as organized into 21 pods housing more than 400 students total.
Options for Displaced Students
Students affected by the work can choose to live in another on-campus residence hall or go home while their pod undergoes remediation, and once the work on their section is finished, they can return to their old room or stay in their alternate living arrangement, according to Bell. Students also have the option to end their on-campus housing agreement entirely without facing a penalty, he said.
The college says it is providing appropriate housing refunds and accommodations where applicable for those affected. Bell said Saint Vincent College continues direct communication with affected students and their families as the remediation moves forward. Crews are expected to shift to the next pod only after remediation and follow-up testing at the current section are complete, with the full effort targeted for completion by November 20.
