New policies combat dorm pests

Students may complain of pervasive pest problems, but Columbia officials insist that new pest control measures counter the trend.

Last October, a task force of representatives from University Purchasing, the Medical Center, and the Morningside campus established a new pest control policy that employs four outside vendors, two of whom work on the Morningside campus—one with Residential and Commercial Operations, and the other with the Medical Center—in a three‑year contract. Columbia University Facilities manages the pest control services.

The policy stresses the use of preventative measures, focusing on preserving buildings and facilitating quick repairs, as opposed to traditional methods of using baits and traps. According to Heather Tsonopoulos, manager of marketing and communications, Housing Services is taking steps to curb pests in dorms.

“The staff of Housing Services and Facilities are committed to an effective and efficient response to students who suspect they may have pests,” Tsonopoulos said.

She added that a more effective means of getting rid of pests in the long term is to repair cracks, crevices, holes, and other openings that encourage pest access.

But according to students, the problem is still pervasive, especially in the Living and Learning Center housed in Wallach and Hartley Halls.

The infrastructure may be beginning to reflect its age, as some students say they are forced to cover up holes on their own.

“I saw a mouse in my room in the middle of the night,” Sarah Gitlin, CC ’13, said. “The exterminator put about five traps in my room.”

Students also argued that the presence of pests is intolerable considering the price of facilities.

“It’s just really frustrating because we paid for the housing. We paid a lot, and I think we should have access to better facilities and a better response from housing when there are problems like this,” Komal Kothari, CC ’12, said.

Jeff Kandel, CC ’12, agreed. “Particularly not when we’re paying full tuition and housing,” he said. “To be realistic, mice are relatively acceptable. I hear there are rats on the second floor—that would be almost unacceptable.”

Kothari lives on the second floor of Wallach, where two girls moved out due to mice running around their room.

“There are holes. Most of them are behind the stove units in the kitchen. ... Housing came and put plastic over, then the mice gnawed through,” he said. “Today a cleaning lady came and they [the roommates] found a mouse in a trap.”

But a cursory glance at the second floor of Wallach shows a messy suite. While Housing did put up a sign asking members to remove any personal items from the kitchen in order to close up the holes, the sign was apparently ignored.

“The suite is overall kinda dirty,” Kothari admitted.

“I just make sure I clean all my dishes thoroughly, and it doesn’t seem to bother me,” Dylan Liu, SEAS ’13, said.

Housing requires a “satisfactory” level of cleanliness to be maintained throughout the school year, and “all residents in suites must discard kitchen trash and clear off counters daily,” according to the official Housing website.

“I don’t think it’s Housing’s fault,” Sueminn Cho, CC ’13, said. “It’s mostly because the students aren’t clean. People here leave food out, and there is a lot of trouble as a group keeping it clean.”

Gitlin agreed, but also stressed the importance of prevention measures. “We need to make sure that the buildings are in good repair,” she said.

Some members of the administration are more skeptical about the pervasiveness of pests. Renee Walker, assistant director of finance and administration, inquired about the number of students who have complained and the “type of pests in question” in these complaints.

Daniel Held, director of communications for Facilities, wrote in an email that overall, pest control complaints have decreased slightly this year.

Others have taken a lighter approach to the situation—a life‑size sculpture of a rat was found on the common table in Suite 2B in Wallach.

The fifth floor of Wallach also adopted a mouse that they named Gerald, but the mouse did not survive. “He [Gerald] has been dead since Thanksgiving, found in a mouse trap,” Kandel said.

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