RWC is fighting an ongoing battle against bedbugs. Two of the critters were first found on campus on November 9, and after taking appropriate measures, the College announced that the bugs were eradicated. However, just before presstime on Tuesday, November 23, RWC Dean Cady Short-Thompson announced that there was a second sighting of bed bugs in the Library concourse. Consequently, the Dean closed the RWC Library “for the appropriate isolation and treatment” until Monday, November 29 at 7:30 a.m.
Traditionally, the Library is closed through Sunday following Thanksgiving anyway.
“We are doing all we can to treat the area, minimize additional or future problems, and communicate the status of the situation to [the RWC community],” the Dean explained in an email to faculty, staff, and students. She also invited anyone with questions to email her directly.
The bedbug story at RWC began on November 9, when two bedbugs were found in the Computer Concourse by housekeeping staff. The bugs were removed and identified by the university’s pest contractor as bedbugs.
Consequently, on November 11, the contractor brought in a bedbug-sniffing dog that positively identified an area of the Library with the pests. A chair and a stack of books were the only places that bedbugs were found.
However, other places were positively identified that did not contain any actual bugs. As a result only two bugs were found. However, all items that were positively identified were removed for decontamination.
The administration also noted in a community wide email to faculty, staff, and students that the college is not an isolated community and that bedbugs have the opportunity to enter the campus from anyone, be they students, faculty, staff, or any other outside personnel.
The College urges students, for more information, to visit the Hamilton County Public Health Department’s website at http://www.hamiltoncountyhealth.org/en/index.html or the Center for Disease Control’s website at http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs.