“Housing shields res halls against bedbug worries” |
| Housing shields res halls against bedbug worries Posted: 19 Jan 2011 04:51 PM PST Do bedbugs really bite if you don't tuck yourself in at night? The familiar adage, shared before the bedtimes of youngsters across the country, has become increasingly important as bedbug populations increase and plague urban centers throughout the nation. According to Tallman Scientific, a New York based collection of bedbug control specialists, bedbugs can be particularly hard to avoid in today's global society. The company warns that bedbugs are known to latch onto luggage in airports, harbor within used furniture and can live without feeding in vacant homes for months at a time. Recently, rumors about bedbug population bursts in various residence halls at Seattle University have been circulating, news of which has left many residents curious and concerned. But is the bedbug menace a legitimate threat to Seattle U students, or just overblown hysteria? "I think a lot of it is just rumors, but bedbugs are out there and they could pose a threat," said Tim Albert, assistant director of Housing. "It happens, it's life, that is what we have to keep in mind. Bugs are a part of life, and we can't be hermetically sealed all the time." Albert says that in the five years he has been at Seattle U, only a handful of students have reported bedbugs in their rooms, but only one recent case was found to be a legitimate infestation. Albert declined to comment on the specific date or severity of the bedbug infestation, but did confirm that it occurred within Campion Hall. Seattle U housing is sensitive to the nature of bedbug infestation, and works to keep any potential concern quiet, for fear of alienating and embarrassing student residents, according to comments from several custodial staff members. However, some students believe they have the right to know when bedbugs have been discovered in any room in their building. "I get that people want to keep quiet when they have bedbugs, but I think we have the right to know when they are in our building so we can defend against it," said junior Cori Sonnabend, a Bellarmine resident. Albert notes that Seattle U housing has an established protocol for the extermination of bedbugs and has set forth steps to be taken should a student feel their room has been infested. "What we encourage students to do if they have or think they have bedbugs is to go to student health and get the bite checked out," said Albert, "It's always good to play it safe." According to Albert, the Seattle U custodial team has been properly trained, and if a bed bug case is confirmed they can quietly move in, replace the mattresses, spray specially developed pesticides, thoroughly clean the room and perform a repeat of the process as a follow up within 24 hours of the confirmation, if necessary. He notes that the custodial team always works with the students to try and ensure that the cleaning procedure will not prove to be a major inconvenience, and that many of the cloth mattresses, the kind bedbugs are attracted to most frequently on campus, have been replaced with bedbug resistant mattresses. Tallman Scientific informs people through their website that bedbugs can be physically, mentally and emotionally traumatizing to their victims, and should be eradicated as quickly as possible, as thoroughly as possible. The company notes that bedbug bites physically resemble those of other blood-sucking insects like ticks, and that they tend to follow a linear pattern. They also note that bedbugs can be identified by small, blood colored streaks that appear on your mattress—caused by bedbug feces and crushed bedbug remains. Albert expressed confidence that the students of Seattle U are relatively safe from the bedbug menace. "Our custodial and maintenance staff does a good job of keeping bugs out and making sure they can't get in. They regularly seal cracks in the building and make sure the trash compactors are cleaned out....They are very well trained in pest management." Dallas may be reached at dgoschie@su-spectator.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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