OSCA Threatens College with Legal Action Over Alleged Rent Contract Violations

Emma Benardete, Editor-in-Chief|November 11, 2022

An independent inspection conducted by Pardee Environmental Sept. 25 found significant evidence of mold growth in Tank Hall, Keep Cottage, and Harkness House — all of which are rented to the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association by the College.

The inspection report includes photos taken during the inspection in which mold growth and water damage are visible. The screening was entirely based on John Pardee’s visual analysis and expertise from personal experience with mold screenings — no samples were collected for analysis.

“Based upon the inspections, it is clear that mold growth has been allowed to take hold in all three of the buildings I inspected, to varying degrees of severity,” Pardee wrote in the report. “It is incumbent on the College facilities office to respond with appropriate urgency to the students’ repeated requests for a professional investigative response and remediation.”

The report included recommendations to maintain indoor humidity levels at 50 percent or below and to clean the HVAC systems in Keep Cottage and Harkness House.

On Oct. 10, all-OSCA leadership sent the Pardee report and a letter detailing a total of 49 alleged violations by the College of their rent contract with OSCA. The alleged violations include failures to meet Ohio Department of Health code and landlord obligations per Ohio Revised Code. An attached list further outlined the specific issues, such as missing window screens, a hole in the back door of Keep Cottage, and storage of College supplies in the basement of Tank Hall.

“This letter shall serve as your official notice of these violations and your obligation to remedy these violations immediately,” the letter reads. “You now have 30 days to rectify these issues before we are forced to take action.”

According to Chief Facilities Officer Kevin Brown, Facilities Operations attempts to address concerns as they arise.

“The health and safety of Oberlin students is my top priority,” Brown wrote in an email to the Review. “I know OSCA feels the same. My team and I have reviewed the OSCA-initiated inspection, conducted our own investigation, and formulated a remediation plan which we have shared with OSCA.”

Nicole Chase, OSCA President, declined the Review’s request for comment.