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The Daily OrangeBeyond the hill | When bed bugs bite
BU student battles with school during abroad experience
By Katie Keating
Posted: 10/14/07, 10:35 PM EST Section: News
A Boston University student received too large a welcoming committee while studying abroad in London this summer.
A BU junior, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being banned from studying abroad, was excited to be living in a posh area of London. Yet after spending the first night in her dorm, she and her roommate from Newbury College began to see bites on their legs. Over time, the bites grew in size and number.
"My legs were so grotesque that I started to use concealer on my legs," she said.
The junior thought it might be bedbugs and asked maintenance to fix the problem while she was away for a weekend. When she returned, her room smelled like chemicals, but her bed looked untouched.
"My roommate told me that they didn't change my sheets. They didn't change my mattress. They didn't change anything. They just basically sprayed Raid everywhere," the junior said.
The Daily Free Press, BU's independent student newspaper, broke the story Oct. 4.
The junior's account is contrary to actions and policies described by Alison Campbell, BU's associate director of British Programmes, and Colin Reilly, director of Media Relations for the school.
"The staff housekeepers sprayed and changed the bed linens the day the students complained," Reilly said.
Paul Shoemaker, the program supervisor for the environmental health in Boston, described bedbugs as a nondiscriminatory nuisance comparable to mosquitoes.
"We've found bedbugs everywhere from five-star hotels to student apartments," Shoemaker said.
The actions taken by BU's London staff deviate from what Shoemaker said should be done to eliminate bedbugs. Ideally, pesticides should be sprayed individually on furniture and clothing. The process should be repeated the following week, he said.
The BU junior claims that while the situation was unfolding, Campbell, the program director, avoided her requests to meet, her parents' phone calls and she said that another administrator hung up on her parents.
A BU junior, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being banned from studying abroad, was excited to be living in a posh area of London. Yet after spending the first night in her dorm, she and her roommate from Newbury College began to see bites on their legs. Over time, the bites grew in size and number.
"My legs were so grotesque that I started to use concealer on my legs," she said.
The junior thought it might be bedbugs and asked maintenance to fix the problem while she was away for a weekend. When she returned, her room smelled like chemicals, but her bed looked untouched.
"My roommate told me that they didn't change my sheets. They didn't change my mattress. They didn't change anything. They just basically sprayed Raid everywhere," the junior said.
The Daily Free Press, BU's independent student newspaper, broke the story Oct. 4.
The junior's account is contrary to actions and policies described by Alison Campbell, BU's associate director of British Programmes, and Colin Reilly, director of Media Relations for the school.
"The staff housekeepers sprayed and changed the bed linens the day the students complained," Reilly said.
Paul Shoemaker, the program supervisor for the environmental health in Boston, described bedbugs as a nondiscriminatory nuisance comparable to mosquitoes.
"We've found bedbugs everywhere from five-star hotels to student apartments," Shoemaker said.
The actions taken by BU's London staff deviate from what Shoemaker said should be done to eliminate bedbugs. Ideally, pesticides should be sprayed individually on furniture and clothing. The process should be repeated the following week, he said.
The BU junior claims that while the situation was unfolding, Campbell, the program director, avoided her requests to meet, her parents' phone calls and she said that another administrator hung up on her parents.
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