Fire hazards, leaks, safety concerns abound in Malone Hall

Published 4:43 pm Thursday, September 26, 2024

Editor’s Note: This article was written by Tropolitan Editor-in-Chief Emily Mosier. The original article can be found here. Troy University’s statement to The Messenger is at the end of this article. 

Fine arts students at Troy University find their home in one of the oldest buildings on campus: Malone Hall. These students, dedicated to passions built on beauty and precision, study each day in a building that is falling apart.

Last week, a ceiling tile fell during a class.

“We all jumped in surprise and looked over to see a pile of dust and debris off to the side,” said senior Hannah Helms, a graphic design major from Troy. “It was the old, rotting ceiling tile we had initially voiced our concerns about the first day of class.

“I think the saddest part of the ceiling tile falling was that none of us were surprised and went back to talking quickly after.”

Every rain brings disaster to Malone Hall, flooding the courtyard and pooling on the roof.

Inside, there are dozens of missing ceiling tiles – removed because of water damage turning them into hazards. Dozens more are water stained. Buckets and trash cans are positioned in most rooms to catch leaks.

Some of the missing tiles reveal electrical wiring – cords hang in loops from the ceiling – and water drips directly onto them. During the rainy season this semester, a trash can below exposed wires collected almost a foot of rain.

The leaks in Malone Hall dictate how faculty layout their rooms and how they store thousands of dollars of equipment.

There’s visible water damage inside the LED lights. Carpets are stained, and some are perpetually wet. The tiled flooring is cracked and broken. There’s peeling paint and cracks between the wall and the floor. There are exposed air ducts with visible patches of adhesive – a flex-seal can sits not too far away.

Countless ceiling and wall marks look suspiciously like mold. Students spread rumors of having seen mushrooms growing in the theater black box.

“I’m unclear on whether there’s mold or not,” said Greg Skaggs, department chair for art and design. “I physically see the mold, but I don’t know to the extent of whether it’s dangerous or not dangerous.”

“Air tests are not arbitrarily done on buildings, and I have no records,” said Robert Burkey, the executive director of facility operations, when asked if Malone Hall had ever been tested for mold.

Bird nests can be found wedged above doorways and in the crooks of the stairwell. The ground floor has no working water fountains and no eye wash station – despite the presence of classrooms dedicated to woodworking and welding.

Outside, rain gutters and cords hang off the roof. A green film covers the windows. A black mark obscures the lettering that spells “Malone Hall.” Yellow weeds are growing visibly from the roof. Sandbags surround the outsides of doors to prevent flooding from seeping into classrooms. A concrete walkway is so buried by debris that it appears to be a dirt path. The occasional snake can be spotted slithering into a bush.

Roberto Juarez, a senior graphic design major from Troy, is a student worker in Malone. There are five leaks in his office alone.

“The bucket usually stays there and is emptied every time it rains,” Juarez said. “I’m just disappointed in how the university appreciates the arts but overpasses the condition of our building.”

Skaggs said Malone Hall has had problems since he started working for Troy University in 2005 – almost 20 years ago.

“There is an emotional gut check when we’ve had a lot of rain, and that’s what happened [last] Monday,” Skaggs said. “I have to spend my day documenting all the leaks and making sure we submit the tickets for the rooms that have leaks.

“The building costs me time – time I could be spending as an administrator or with students or on my classes.”

According to several students and staff, when the AC stops working, the air begins to smell and becomes too stale to breathe. Professors have to cancel class.

Dr. Michael Thrasher, the dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts, said the university has been aware of “certain deficiencies” in Malone Hall for years.

“This is a front-burner issue for me,” Thrasher said. “I’ve been over there, and I had concerns about water leaks in close proximity to electrical conduits.

“I had concerns about just air quality within the building – whether that be mold, mildew, humidity levels. Very much am concerned about all of this.”

Thrasher said the ideal solution would be to expand the International Art Center so that it can accommodate art and design students, and then expand The Trojan Center Theater and Wright Hall to accommodate theater and dance students. Malone Hall would be demolished, and a performing arts venue would be built in its place.

“All of those things are complex and require quite a lot of planning and quite a lot of financial investment as well, and none of those things are solutions that are immediately implementable,” Thrasher said. “It will take time and considerable effort on the part of the institution as a whole to make actionable progress on any of those steps.

“It would cost more to do the repairs than the facility is worth in the long-term.”

On Saturday, Troy University’s Board of Trustees meeting included a list of six building priorities, expecting to spend $58 million in four years. The list included the Lagoon renovations, which is currently $4 million over budget, and an indoor training facility for athletics. There was no mention of Malone Hall or any of the buildings that would house its departments.

Skaggs emphasized how much students and faculty love Malone Hall, but he said he needs help.

“Malone has an enduring quality,” he said. “Having said that, the building itself does hinder our ability to recruit studio students.”

During summer orientations, Skaggs does not let students tour Malone Hall.

“The issues are very obvious, and I think it visually looks like an unsafe workspace,” he said. “We’re not necessarily asking for a new building. We’re asking to just make this building functional and healthy.”

The Messenger reached out to Troy University representatives for comment on the story on Sept. 26. The following is the university’s full statement.

“Troy University is fully committed to providing clean, safe and comfortable learning environments for our students, faculty and staff. The condition of Malone Hall is a serious concern for senior leaders. A number of long-term solutions are under consideration including relocation of classes, replacing the roof or construction of a new building and subsequent demolition of Malone Hall.

Although University Physical Plant has been engaged in addressing maintenance challenges in the building, responding to more than 40 work requests in the past six months, the maintenance process is being carefully evaluated to ensure that issues are being resolved quickly and up to University standards. Crews are working to address all current maintenance issues as quickly as possible.

University leaders are committed to providing a permanent solution to problems in Malone Hall, or providing new space to house these programs.”