Levi Brandenburg
Contributing Writer
lbrandenburg1@murraystate.edu
Issac Ash
Contributing Writer
bash2@murraystate.edu
Six rooms in Regents College were treated for bedbugs during the fall semester, but the cases weren’t reported until last month in the Facilities Management system and students living on campus weren’t informed.
The Murray State News filed an open records request on Feb. 18 per the Open Records Act for maintenance reports and records filed from Jan. 1 to Feb. 18 for every residential college. The records showed six requests for bedbug treatments made in Regents on Feb. 6.
However, Shawn Touney, director of communication, said the reports were actually from October 2019, but were not entered into the system until Feb. 6.
“Internal documents within Facilities Management’s work management system in order to track the work for invoicing purposes were entered in February,” Touney said.
Touney said Facilities Management receives reports of bedbugs in the residential colleges periodically.
“When a report is received, a certified pest control operator on staff will investigate to confirm if bedbugs are present,” Touney said. “If the presence of bedbugs is confirmed, an outside vendor is scheduled to come perform the treatment… Our staff will respond usually the day of, or the morning following receiving the complaint.”
Residents living in the rooms with bedbugs were asked to leave for a few hours while Servall Pest Control treated the rooms.
“Due to the process that is used for treating bedbugs and the decreasing number of pest management professionals on our staff, we have chosen to use an outside pest control contractor that is more experienced in this type of work to handle treatment,” Touney said.
Despite the reports of bedbugs in Regents, a campus-wide warning was not issued.
“While many campuses and other facilities contend with the bedbug issue, we have been fortunate that bedbugs have not been widespread on our campus,” Touney said. “Therefore, we haven’t seen the need to issue a campus-wide warning.”
Mason Williams, junior from Paducah, Kentucky, said he was unaware of the situation and the reports.
“It would have been useful to help us to keep an eye out for them, especially those in Regents, but also those in the other residential colleges,” Williams said.
Other students agree with Williams, especially those who have recently been to Regents.
“You would think that they would at least send an email out,” said April Keel, sophomore from Cadiz, Kentucky. “I have friends who live in Regents and I would have liked to know to keep an eye out.”
Touney said if bedbugs are found, it should not automatically be assumed that a room or the residents are “dirty.”
“Often bedbugs are picked up during travel, staying at hotels or other residences,” Touney said.
Chad Parks, manager of Servall Pest Control, said bedbugs can be spread by infested individuals’ clothing or already infested furniture.
“We most commonly find that they were spread by people bringing in used furniture or by infested clothing after a stay at a particularly suspicious hotel,” Parks said. “Many of the people who are infected simply don’t know it until it’s spread further or they make the situation worse by trying to contain it themselves or not recognizing it for what it is.”
Many products to combat bedbugs can be purchased online, but Parks advises calling a professional.
“Many of the solutions online simply don’t work and are simply taking time that could be used to better prevent that infestation from spreading further,” Parks said.
While bedbugs are unlikely to affect students after being treated, Parks provided some tips on how to prevent bedbug infestations in the future.
“Try to limit guests in your home and when you return from a vacation, immediately wash and dry your clothes,” Parks said. “Bedbugs have trouble surviving high heats like that from a dryer and the soap and water can help to dislodge them if they are hiding in clothing. Don’t take in used furniture and always check the furniture and beds of where you stay when away from home.”
Touney said students should report bedbug infestations to Housing immediately so the infested room can be checked by Facilities Management and treated if necessary.