By Julia Bubp, Staff Writer
Wheaton College students living in Fischer Hall, an on-campus residence hall, were moved to temporary housing in Smith-Traber, Williston and McManis-Evans residence halls during Student Leadership Training week after mechanical failures in Fischer’s air conditioning system required extensive repairs.
On Friday, Aug. 14, Wheaton facilities workers discovered localized surface mold in the center sections of multiple Fischer Hall floors due to an air distribution system error that caused condensation to collect. After 116 students moved out, facilities workers began industrial cleaning and mechanical repairs, blocking building exits and room access. Fischer’s Residence Life senior staff were unaffected and remained in the building.
Residence Life initially informed students about the issue via email in the evening of Aug. 17 and asked students to pack belongings they would need for their temporary housing. The email added that students would be allowed to leave belongings in their rooms but would be unable to access them until initial repair work was completed.
“This is a tough way for the students and staff who live in Fischer Hall to begin,” the email concluded. “We will work together to provide support for those affected.”
In a follow-up email to both students and parents on Wednesday, Aug. 19, Vice President for Finance Chad Rynbrandt clarified that the issue had not impacted any Fischer rooms but would require repair work until Saturday, Aug. 22. The email stated that work would continue beyond Saturday while the building was occupied.
Wheaton’s facilities department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Justin Heth, dean of Residence Life, worked closely with facilities to ensure that the relocation happened quickly. Residence Life also worked with the athletic department to relocate sports teams that had arrived early for practices.
“There were a lot of individuals trying to make it happen by the morning,” Heth said. “I think it worked out as best as it could for such an unfortunate situation.”
Students faced a quick turnaround shortly after moving to campus for Student Leadership Training. Early arrivals participated in orientation and training for teams and ministries to prepare for the coming semester. James Mustard, a sophomore economics and Spanish major, had been living in his Fischer Two East room for five days before the move.
“I found out that I was going to be moving on Tuesday, and I was not really ready for that,” he said. “It’s just a push outside of normalcy.”
In addition to assigning temporary housing, Residence Life encouraged students to stay with friends or teammates on campus. Mustard, who is a member of Wheaton’s Diakonoi campus tour guide group, reached out to his team coordinator, junior philosophy and economics major Reid Price, to stay in his apartment.
“I think it’s good for me because I was staying by myself — none of my roommates were moved in yet,” Mustard said. “Going and living with Reid was very nice for me because now I have someone to talk to and hang out with.”
Faith Nash, a junior classical languages major and resident assistant (RA) on Fischer Three West, appreciated Residence Life’s communication with students, which allowed her team to support underclassmen relocated from their halls. Fischer RAs stayed in the building, moving into ground-floor apartments with graduate resident assistants for the week.
“The RAs have treated it as kind of like a team bonding,” Nash said. “There’s so much of God’s grace in how people are reacting to this.”
Upperclass Residence Hall Director Sarah Johnson, who saw 86 students assigned to temporary housing in Williston and McManis-Evans halls, said the relocation felt similar to the typical pattern of students moving in at the start of the year. She has been impressed with how calm students have been.
“Everyone’s had a really good attitude about it, and I haven’t heard anyone complain, which I think would be a pretty normal response,” Johnson said. “Everyone’s been very positive about it and understanding.”
Fischer Residence Director Joy Chilala Matthews supported RAs during the transition. She appreciated their flexibility and willingness to work together, as well as the learning opportunity.
“When you’re working in Residence Life, anything is possible,” Chilala Matthews said. “This is definitely growing me in my patience and adaptability.”
Heth acknowledged the difficulty of the situation for both students and staff. But he praised the coordinated, campuswide effort.
“I’m grateful for all the different functions of the college working together and being flexible,” he said. “This is, I would say, community at its best: when you have to go through hard things, the best place to go through something like this is in a Christian community.”
