Floating College Dorm Leaves St. Mary's

Formerly mold-infested dorms deemed safe

Students at St. Mary's College bid bon voyage Sunday to the cruise ship that acted as a floating dorm for 240 students.

The freshmen and sophomores were displaced in October after mold was discovered in two dorms. At first, the school put the students up in hotels, creating a situation where some students were commuting nearly 20 miles via shuttle bus.

School officials then took a creative approach to fixing the problem, by bringing in a cruise ship to act as a floating dorm. After a series of delays, the students were able to board their bedrooms on the bay, which was docked within walking distance to the school.

On Monday, school officials announced that an environmental consulting agency had determined Prince George and Caroline Halls were safe after inspections and air sample testing.

Renovation work to reassemble the buildings is underway and is expected to be completed by the first week of January. Students will be able to move back into their original dorm assignments when they return from winter break.

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