Spring Break
Bed bugs identified in Dolliver House
Second breakout in two years meets different reaction from staff
by Robin Caskey | Llama Ledger Staff
Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: News
"We felt like we had this big illness, something contagious," sophomore Sena Secilmis says of her experience of the bed bug infestation that overtook Kendrick House last fall semester.
Secilmis was one of eight girls living in Kendrick's former Suite E, where bed bugs were initially found in just one of the five rooms.
However, the entire hall was evacuated, because, according to Hill House Residence Director Ken Geremia, "there was reason to believe it was spreading."
Over the course of 24 hours, the residents of Suite E washed all their clothes, bagged them in garbage bags and left them in the laundry room.
But when a student found a bed bug in Dolliver House last week, the college's reaction was noticeably different.
"That night was awful," Secilmis says of last year's infestation. "We washed until 4, 5 a.m." The residents were instructed to leave all electronics, papers, files, shoes, purses and luggage in their rooms. Shoes and purses were to be dry-cleaned. The residents didn't have access to most of their things for weeks," says Secilmis.
Members of Physical Plant fumigated the rooms. "They left our rooms open; there were things on the floor. I realized that a lot of things were stolen," Secilmis says. "My camera, my watch, my passport," she says.
Most drastically, all residents were moved to other rooms in Kendrick, Crosby or Hill House, and Suite E was kept unoccupied for the remainder of the semester.
"I had a mental breakdown," Secilmis says of the experience.
This year's bed bugs have been far less disruptive—or so it would seem.
Last Friday, first-year and Dolliver resident Jonathan Slavid posted a status update on Facebook, announcing that he had found bed bugs.
"I put it in my Facebook status first because it was a Friday, and Health Services was closed. I just didn't think of telling a PA or an RD," he says.
"It was so weird because I was away at Oberlin," Slavid's roommate Conrad Rothbaum says. "I found out my room was infested online."
"I first was afraid of bugs when I got a bunch of bites around my ankles," Slavid says. "But at first I thought they were just mosquito bites, but when they lasted longer than two days I began to wonder what they were. Then one day I found a bug on my sheets, and killed it and put it in the trash. I looked up bed bugs online, and sure enough, the pictures matched what I had found in my bed," Slavid recounts.
"We first found out on Facebook," Dolliver PA Ian James confirms, saying that the support staff, including RD Valerie Fanarjian, responded immediately.
Other than James and Geremia, Student Affairs staff refused to comment on this story.
"He had bites on his ankles, and he had killed one," James says of the evidence. "Val started talking to Jon and started bagging up all his stuff that night, and it was taken care of."
Standard procedure on campus includes the disposal of mattresses, the fumigation and thorough cleaning of all rooms involved and the washing and drying of all fabrics that have had contact with the rooms, according to Geremia.
While Slavid says that "the support staff was helpful," the reaction to the outbreak has not been as strong as it was in Kendrick last fall.
"They gave me trash bags and a vacuum and a list of things to do," Slavid says.
James too attests that the outbreak "turned into fall cleaning," in the dorm. "I heard vacuums and people were throwing stuff away and I think the whole dorm was like 'I think it's time for us to clean up.'"
Overall, James looks to Dolliver residents' gender as an explanation for the calmer response. "It is guys," James says, "and they're a lot less likely to freak out."
Another difference between this outbreak and the previous one that may explain the variation in reaction, is that, according to Geremia, "there is no evidence that the bugs are spreading. There were recently a few room switches in Dolliver, and Jon Slavid's room was involved, but all the rooms have been checked."
However, even the isolation of Slavid's room has been laxer. While Rothbaum says he has been sleeping in the Dolliver lounge, Slavid has been sleeping in his room.
"Tom [Coote] sent me an email that said I should ask to sleep in people's spare beds in Dolliver," Rothbaum says. There has been no talk of moving rooms, and Slavid says that he and Rothbaum have "complete access to our room."
"So far, I have gotten no more bites nor seen any more bugs," Slavid says. Nevertheless, Rothbaum sympathizes with last year's sufferers. "It is a stressful situation," he says. "I feel like I have leprosy."
Members of Residence Life and Student Affairs declined the opportunity to comment on this story.
Contact the author: rcaskey@llamaledger.com
Secilmis was one of eight girls living in Kendrick's former Suite E, where bed bugs were initially found in just one of the five rooms.
However, the entire hall was evacuated, because, according to Hill House Residence Director Ken Geremia, "there was reason to believe it was spreading."
Over the course of 24 hours, the residents of Suite E washed all their clothes, bagged them in garbage bags and left them in the laundry room.
But when a student found a bed bug in Dolliver House last week, the college's reaction was noticeably different.
"That night was awful," Secilmis says of last year's infestation. "We washed until 4, 5 a.m." The residents were instructed to leave all electronics, papers, files, shoes, purses and luggage in their rooms. Shoes and purses were to be dry-cleaned. The residents didn't have access to most of their things for weeks," says Secilmis.
Members of Physical Plant fumigated the rooms. "They left our rooms open; there were things on the floor. I realized that a lot of things were stolen," Secilmis says. "My camera, my watch, my passport," she says.
Most drastically, all residents were moved to other rooms in Kendrick, Crosby or Hill House, and Suite E was kept unoccupied for the remainder of the semester.
"I had a mental breakdown," Secilmis says of the experience.
This year's bed bugs have been far less disruptive—or so it would seem.
Last Friday, first-year and Dolliver resident Jonathan Slavid posted a status update on Facebook, announcing that he had found bed bugs.
"I put it in my Facebook status first because it was a Friday, and Health Services was closed. I just didn't think of telling a PA or an RD," he says.
"It was so weird because I was away at Oberlin," Slavid's roommate Conrad Rothbaum says. "I found out my room was infested online."
"I first was afraid of bugs when I got a bunch of bites around my ankles," Slavid says. "But at first I thought they were just mosquito bites, but when they lasted longer than two days I began to wonder what they were. Then one day I found a bug on my sheets, and killed it and put it in the trash. I looked up bed bugs online, and sure enough, the pictures matched what I had found in my bed," Slavid recounts.
"We first found out on Facebook," Dolliver PA Ian James confirms, saying that the support staff, including RD Valerie Fanarjian, responded immediately.
Other than James and Geremia, Student Affairs staff refused to comment on this story.
"He had bites on his ankles, and he had killed one," James says of the evidence. "Val started talking to Jon and started bagging up all his stuff that night, and it was taken care of."
Standard procedure on campus includes the disposal of mattresses, the fumigation and thorough cleaning of all rooms involved and the washing and drying of all fabrics that have had contact with the rooms, according to Geremia.
While Slavid says that "the support staff was helpful," the reaction to the outbreak has not been as strong as it was in Kendrick last fall.
"They gave me trash bags and a vacuum and a list of things to do," Slavid says.
James too attests that the outbreak "turned into fall cleaning," in the dorm. "I heard vacuums and people were throwing stuff away and I think the whole dorm was like 'I think it's time for us to clean up.'"
Overall, James looks to Dolliver residents' gender as an explanation for the calmer response. "It is guys," James says, "and they're a lot less likely to freak out."
Another difference between this outbreak and the previous one that may explain the variation in reaction, is that, according to Geremia, "there is no evidence that the bugs are spreading. There were recently a few room switches in Dolliver, and Jon Slavid's room was involved, but all the rooms have been checked."
However, even the isolation of Slavid's room has been laxer. While Rothbaum says he has been sleeping in the Dolliver lounge, Slavid has been sleeping in his room.
"Tom [Coote] sent me an email that said I should ask to sleep in people's spare beds in Dolliver," Rothbaum says. There has been no talk of moving rooms, and Slavid says that he and Rothbaum have "complete access to our room."
"So far, I have gotten no more bites nor seen any more bugs," Slavid says. Nevertheless, Rothbaum sympathizes with last year's sufferers. "It is a stressful situation," he says. "I feel like I have leprosy."
Members of Residence Life and Student Affairs declined the opportunity to comment on this story.
Contact the author: rcaskey@llamaledger.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 5
anonymous
posted 11/20/08 @ 10:43 AM EST
the roomie is sleeping in d-house lounge? that is ridiculous, sounds like a sure way to spread bed bugs more, and seems like a violation of some rule that the people who didn't provide him with a spare room probably put in place in the first place. (Continued…)
Margot
posted 11/20/08 @ 11:03 AM EST
As one of the eight evacuated from Suite E last year, I'm very glad to hear that the school has taken a more sensible approach to this year's incident. (Continued…)
Business Opportunities
posted 11/24/08 @ 5:04 AM EST
This is a very unpleasant experience. Everyone should learn what they look like and keep an eye out for them. Then they can catch them before they start spreading. (Continued…)
Melvin
posted 12/09/08 @ 11:41 PM EST
A business is a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods and services to consumers, governments or other businesses. A consumer is an essential part of a business. (Continued…)
Melvin
posted 12/09/08 @ 11:42 PM EST
A business is a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods and services to consumers, governments or other businesses. A consumer is an essential part of a business. (Continued…)
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