Mold is spreading across ceilings, doors, furniture and HVAC units inside the Wilson Hall Annex at UNC-Chapel Hill, according to a September 2026 inspection report, and at least one instructor says the building’s air has made him physically ill. Biology instructor Morgan Korzik developed post-nasal drip, sneezing, coughing, shortness of breath and skin rashes that he attributes to time spent in the annex, and he now takes daily medication to manage the symptoms.
The inspection found mold present on furniture, doors, ceilings, pipe insulation and inside HVAC units throughout much of the 1965 building, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. Korzik told the paper his symptoms feel worse in rooms that are hot, humid, or have visible mold on surfaces, and he said university health clinic doctors supported his own determination that mold exposure was to blame. He is not alone — he said other students and faculty in Wilson Hall have reported similar symptoms, and some people now wear masks routinely while working in certain rooms.
Biology instructor Eric Hastie said mold in the building increased following heavy summer rains, and he moved his office and classes out of the Wilson Hall Annex at his first opportunity. He described the working conditions there as both a health concern and a morale issue, and estimated that a few thousand students learn in Wilson Hall each week. Arianna Smith-Barnes reported a potent mildew smell inside the building, and said a professor held office hours at an alternative location in 2025 specifically to avoid it.
Failing Systems in a 60-Year-Old Building
The inspection report described the annex’s HVAC systems as failing, with rusted and disassembled fan coils, and inspectors said they could not determine which fan coils still worked at all. The building has at least two rooms with active water leaks and no built-in dehumidification, so UNC placed dehumidifiers throughout the annex — though the inspection report described their coverage as sporadic. Inspectors also noted the 57,000-square-foot building contains asbestos in pipe insulation, floor tiles and elsewhere, and advised consulting campus safety officials before disturbing any asbestos-containing materials…