Problems never seem to end with Trent University's new Gzowski College. Touted by president Bonnie Patterson to be an economic cure-all, its existence commenced with a costly and divisive legal battle surrounding the closing of the town colleges. The actual building opened year late, is at least $3.2-million over budget, has $9.2-million in contractors liens outstanding, and has gained wide recognition as an architectural eyesore. Now it may be that living in Gzowski College is a health hazard. If this is so might Trent expect future lawsuits?

Since the college’s first opening last September, many Gzowski residents have had to deal with concrete dust raining from unpainted walls and ceilings in their rooms and stairwells. Delays in the construction process led to an early opening of the college, which meant that parts of the building remain unfinished. Students living in the college thought that in due time the university would complete the construction of their rooms, yet nothing has happened since September.

In a letter to Arthur, Jonah Kelly, a second year student in Environmental Science, says he and fellow students “have to continually breathe -- and clean up -- the dust that inundates the building.” Many Gzowski residents, possibly more than half, have to constantly deal with dust on their computers, desks, bedspreads, clothing and plants.

Most of the walls in Gzowski are painted, including hallways and room walls. But some of them are not, and ceilings in general are not painted. Staircases are unpainted as well, and the concrete dust is most evident around the stairwells. Indeed, unlike other concrete walls around campus, the unpainted walls at Gzowski do not even have a coat of painting over the concrete.

It is clear that the source of the dust can be tracked down to the unfinished construction of the college in September, and the university’s need to open the college to residents. For instance, many parts of the college, such as the cafeteria, were not functional until October.

A first-year Gzowski student speaking to Arthur admitted that the rooms at Gzowski are in general very nice, but the uncompleted painting of the walls and ceilings is a real nuisance. Indeed, it is more than a nuisance -- it is a health hazard. Exposure to this kind of dust can lead people to develop respiratory illnesses. American research on the effects of concrete dust in New York City in the aftermath of September 11 demonstrated that many people working in the city’s Financial District faced respiratory and eye irritations for weeks. A report from the Environmental Protection Agency showed that debris dust in the city in the days after the attack was endangering public health. Clean up crews, office workers, cops and firefighters were found to have many respiratory problems.

The long term effects of concrete dust are a core concern for students like Jonah Kelly. In addition to exposing students to health hazards, the continuous rain of dust in the building is also contributing to slow wall crumbling and exposure of defects in construction. Pictures from Kelly’s room show crumbling corners and ripped plywood in the walls.

For Kelly, the sorry condition of students’ rooms is not due to the maintenance staff. instead, Kelly is frustrated with the administration, which, knowing full well the condition of walls and ceilings in Gzowski, has neglected it and considered its construction a done deal.

Arthur was unable to reach the administration for comment on this issue. Our Friday afternoon phone message to Director of Housing, Michael Porritt, was not returned before we went to press.