The roommate you didn’t know about

By Ryan Brong
September 22, 2016

Is that crumb on your floor magically moving? Are you waking up in the morning with bites on your arms and legs? Perhaps more than just you and your roommates are living in your room.

Many students on campus report having insect infestation in their dorm rooms. Such infestations include ants, fruit flies and in some cases bed bugs.

Various students have found ants in their food, crawling around their rooms and behind the furniture. East Residence hall had a fruit fly infestation last year.

As students arrive for the new year, many are shocked and appalled at the fact that they have to deal with this problem on top of the other stressors of college.

If a student has an bug problem they can contact Residence Life, who gets in contact with Orkin. Orkin sends a representative to Cabrini’s campus every Wednesday.

The Orkin representative will provide traps and/or spray the room with poison to kill the bugs, and will answer any questions students may have.

The problem with the poison is that it’s not safe to breathe in for 48 hours. Also, depending on how much the exterminator sprays, it could get on a student’s personal belongings.

The 48 hour rule causes students to evacuate their rooms.

This may not be a problem for students who live near campus, but for students who live a further difference, it is not an option to commute.

Students can disperse to friend’s rooms on campus but that inconveniences both the student with the infestation and their friend.

The student’s room that was sprayed is unable to access everyday items that they normally have as well as their friends now having to work around having an extra body in the room.

Abbie Keefe ‘16, had bed bugs last year. She and her roommates were told they could not stay in their room for 48 hours.

“One of the hardest parts was that people thought myself, and my roommates were dirty, filthy people,” Keefe said. “That really upset my roommates and I because we’re all very clean people.”

Personally I have not had a bug problem in my two years at Cabrini, but the idea that a student has to live in their dorm with the nuisance of a bug infestation is a problem.

I understand if a few students find an ant here and there, but when a bag of chips is raided by bugs, or bugs are crawling around someone’s bed, it is down right uncomfortable.

There are no real way to avoid bugs. They will find you no matter how clean you keep your room. In an article published by Esquire, there is an estimated 1.6 million ants per person in the world. With more than 7 billion people in the world, that is a lot of ants. 

That being said, my suggestions would be do not eat food in bed and leave crumbs that could attract bugs.

Also, do not leave food containers open around the room either, and vacuum often.

If you have a bug problem you should immediately contact ResLife, and hopefully you will receive a quick resolution.

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Ryan Brong

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