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Bedbugs, mold serious concerns for students

Don’t let the bedbugs bite.
It’s the goodnight message of cartoons, movies and parents every where.
It’s also a message that is relevant to a number of Geisert Hall residents.
The creepy critters that for years were considered practically extinct have been making a comeback in large, crowded cities across the country. And it looks like they’ve made their way to Peoria. Or at least to Bradley.

The university has reacted to this infestation by spraying a handful of rooms. Administrators are hopeful this will be enough. So are we.

But spraying isn’t always effective because the insects hide well and reproduce quickly. That means spraying can’t always get to all the bugs or eggs, and that’s what makes the blood-sucking bugs so hard to eradicate.
The university seems aware of the problem, so we would hope administrators will continue pressing the issue.
What makes us nervous is that residents of the hall, other than those with infiltrated rooms, were not told about the bugs.
That’s alarming because bedbugs tend to spread. They spread easily though clothes, sheets or really anything that moves room to room.
And that means the bugs could have spread to other rooms, and they could be feasting on other residents without them having any idea what exactly those weird, red bumps they keep waking up with are.
Bradley needs to make sure every resident in that building knows exactly what bedbugs are and exactly what they look like and exactly what their bites look like. That’s the only way the school is going to be able to stop the infestation and keep students bite-free.
And as if the bedbugs weren’t bad enough, students in University Hall have reported instances of mold in their rooms.
The university told the Scout it was not bad mold, but that strikes the question: is there such a thing as not bad mold?
According to the Center for Disease Control, people who are sensitive to mold, like those with allergies or asthma, can experience severe effects, including lung problems.
Truth be told, the CDC also says mold exposure does not always present a health risk, but if mold grows in an asthmatic’s room, the consequences could potentially be more severe.
So even if the mold that’s been found in U-Hall isn’t of the more toxic-producing variety, we still find it pretty alarming that there’s mold period.
And, not unlike Geisert, residents of U-Hall haven’t been told what to do should they start seeing some of the green or black fuzzy stuff growing, and that makes us uncomfortable.
In the end, the university can’t really be blamed for the bedbugs. The insects likely traveled with someone who stayed in an infected hotel, house or other school’s dorm. Nor can Bradley really be blamed for the mold. U-Hall is an old building, and these things happen.
However, that does not change that these issues cannot be taken lightly, and the university must be certain to make students fully aware of this problems and ones to come.
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The Scout is published by members of the student body of Bradley University. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the University.