In response to Liz Bowen's Article on my response to the flea situation in her apartment:
McMahon has never had an "infestation" of any kind. We have had "incidents" of various bugs in different rooms at different times. These issues have never grown beyond a single apartment. McMahon isn't a source of bugs, the bugs are brought in from the outside. In the case of [this apartment] there was a cat in the apartment for a week in August and a roommate that had been exposed to fleas.
The exterminator visits every Thursday at 11 a.m. and there is an established policy that Residential Life and I follow to handle bug complaints. Facilities is not responsible for bugs having been brought into the building, but we respond immediately and effectively when they are discovered. The bugs come in with students and their friends. There aren't bugs living in McMahon, it's a concrete building. So far, fleas have only been found in [one apartment].
I am on call all weekend. I responded to the report from the RA and RD with 12 hours of this complaint. The exterminator and I placed glue traps in the room to catch whatever bugs were there and then apply the correct pesticide. These glue traps capture any bug that moves. Me and my staff shampooed the carpet twice and replaced the furniture. The exterminator was at the room on Monday, Thursday and Friday; I visited the room every day. Having managed McMahon for 17 years and gone through with the exterminator every week for 17 years, I know this process works. We've had bed bugs in McMahon brought in by friends but these occurances have never gone beyond the apartment where the issue occured. Any other University and extermination company follows these same protocols.
The experience is very uncomfortable for the residents but in order to handle the problem correctly and contain it I need to know exactly what I'm dealing with and that takes time. Residents are not allowed to bring pets into the building. Residents exposed to a pest situation outside of McMahon should wash all their belongings before they return. And please notify Residential Life or me when you are exposed instead of waiting for your roommates to be eaten alive!
Editor’s Note: The Observer stands by Bowen’s article. For more information regarding alleged bug problems in McMahon, see “Students Find Fault with Facilities” by Ray Walsh on page 1.
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