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Student Petition for Improvements to North Campus Dorms

This semester, a number of problems in the High and Low-Rise dormitories have highlighted alleged differences in the quality of housing conditions on North Campus.

Students in Low Rise 6 and 7 circulated a petition last week seeking renovation of their buildings to bring it “up to par” with the other freshman dorms. Among other issues, the petition cites faulty heaters, unsanitary bathrooms, lack of commodities afforded in other dorms and disorganized and damaged signage throughout the buildings as reasons the Low Rises are commonly regarded by students as “the worst dorms on campus.”

Several cases of bed bugs have been reported in Jameson and High Rise 5 dormitories. According to Harvard University’s School of Public Health, bed bugs are “small wingless insects that feed solely upon the blood of warm-blooded animals.”

The School’s website also indicates that bed bugs seek shelter in small, dark crevices, such as in mattresses, and cause lesions or “bites” to appear on a host by injecting a tiny amount of their saliva into the skin while feeding. Bed bugs do not spread disease, however, and there is no evidence that indicates they exist where conditions are unsanitary, a point emphasized by Joe Burke, director of campus life at Cornell. “It’s a bit of a myth,” said Burke. “Bed bugs don’t discriminate who they choose to come into contact with.”

Cornell has dealt with these infestations by moving affected students into available space in the other dorm buildings, including lounges. One lounge, on the fifth floor of High Rise 5, has had five students reside in it due to bed bug related concerns in their original room locations.

“There is some danger of helping them to spread, to be perfectly honest,” said Burke. “But we’ve taken measures to minimize the chances. It’s really a joint effort between Campus Housing, our pest control service and the student.”

Conor McLaughlin, residence hall director for Jameson and High Rise 5, stated that there have been four confirmed reports of bed bugs in Jameson, two unconfirmed reports in Jameson and one unconfirmed report in High Rise 5.

In response to these occurrences, Cornell has investigated whether or not other colleges have experienced cases of bed bugs in dormitories. “Our research showed that several schools, including Harvard, Columbia, University of Texas at Austin and others have had cases of bed bugs for a year or year-and-a-half already. Even higher-end hotels and resorts have had to deal with this issue across the country,” said Burke.

Burke also stated that Cornell has now established a protocol for dealing with bed bugs. “The key to getting rid of bed bugs is to stop them from spreading. If a student has to move out of the room, his or her laundry is placed in sealed bags before leaving the room and then laundered or dry-cleaned. Extreme heat will kill bed bugs, but it’s important that they are kept at a temperature of 120 degrees or more for an extended period of time,” said Burke. Cornell is in the process of replacing its older mattresses with new ones featuring “bed bug resistant” covers that are seamless.

According to McLaughlin, any room where there has been a report of bed bugs is subjected to a 15-week treatment of chemical applications once every three weeks. “At first we moved students into whatever rooms were available, but under the advisement of the pest control service we have, we’re now giving students the choice of staying in their room except for those times at which the treatments are laid down,” said McLaughlin. “The answer we’ve gotten across the board from the Environmental Health and Safety department and pest control is that bed bugs don’t cause health problems; they’re more of a nuisance.”

One student who had to change rooms due to bed bugs reported that Cornell Housing did little to ameliorate the transition. The student, who asked to remain anonymous, stated that neither the new R.A. nor roommate in the dorm where he or she was placed was informed of the student’s imminent move. As a result, the student remained in temporary housing much longer than expected. “I was literally living out of plastic bags of my belongings for four nights. It was especially stressful because for several nights I had no assurance that I would have a permanent place to live. Because I was required to perform all of the manual labor myself, the move consumed days of my time and severely disrupted my ability to concentrate and work.”

Another issue affecting students housed in the High and Low Rises is related to problems with the inconsistency of running water. Students have reported that at times, there is no water, and other times it is scalding hot. William Imperiale ’11 said, “It’s really annoying when you want to take a shower and the water temperature at the lowest possible setting is still too unbearable.” After residents of High Rise 5 issued service requests the water was reportedly shut off in their suites for periods ranging from hours to days.

Students in Low Rise 6 and 7 circulated a petition last week seeking renovation of their building to bring it “up to par” with the other freshman dorms. Among other issues, the petition cites faulty heaters, unsanitary bathrooms, lack of commodities afforded in other dorms and disorganized and damaged signage throughout the buildings as reasons the Low Rises are commonly regarded by students as “the worst dorms on campus.”

Nora Choueiri ’10, a residential advisor in Low Rise 7, stated in an e-mail that approximately 100 signatures have been collected so far, and they expect to receive 150 before submitting the petition to Campus Housing.

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