Time to address the mouse in the room

By: Sarah Rance

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y.- Imagine this: your roommate is always getting into your things. They are constantly eating your food and they are filthy. Now imagine your roommate has four legs, a tail and is only a couple inches off the ground. For the residents of Clet Hall, myself included, this is exactly the case.

You guessed it, mice. Not only are they being found in the residents’ rooms, but also in the dining commons. One day while eating in the dining hall, my friend pointed under a table at a mouse trap just out in the open. Yes, under a table. Where we eat.

There have already been residents who moved out of their rooms because of the mice. They found that their food has been eaten and, as a result, they put in a request with facilities.

“Facilities had not told us where the traps were located so when I was cleaning I found a trap that had gone off right next to the head of my bed,” said the student, who wished to remain anonymous. They only found the trap when their room began to smell. What a lovely surprise, right? A total of four mice were caught in their room alone. They then moved into different rooms.

One resident of the building is so petrified of mice that she discovered a trick to ward them off. She went to the store and bought Irish Spring soap, shaved it into pieces and lined her dorm room with it. Apparently, mice hate the strong smell of the soap so this student did not hesitate to give it a try.

In case it is not already obvious, the issue with this is that mice are dirty. They have a history of carrying diseases in their urine and feces. Those of us who live in Clet Hall were not even told about this issue. We are paying a lot of money to live in these dorm buildings, a range of $12,950 to $13,900, and it is not fair that we are living with mice.

One would think that an issue that poses such a health risk would be acknowledged, but has a single email been sent to residents addressing the issue? The answer to that is no.

This is not an issue that can be brushed under the rug. Efforts must be taken to get this under control. Something as simple as an email acknowledging the issue so we know it is not being ignored is all that is needed. Hopefully this issue can be resolved so residents like myself can live in the building at ease without worrying about the arrival of an unpleasant visitor.