 "Photo: Kyle Bruggeman")
Since the afternoon of Jan. 23, Amanda Wekesser has not been able to sleep in her own bed, have access to all of her clothes or complete her homework.
Wekesser is a Selleck Quadrangle resident assistant at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln whose room was infested with live bedbugs. And she said she wasn't allowed to tell her residents.
"It's not fair that I'd be asked to hide this from them," Wekesser said. "(My residents) could be at risk and not even know it, because Housing is trying to hide it."
"It's like the Iron Curtain," she said.
On Jan. 24, University Housing reported on its website that "a single dead bedbug was found" in the Selleck Quadrangle 8000 building.
But Wekesser said what transpired in her room was far from "dead."
When she came back from winter break for spring RA training on Jan. 6, she said she began noticing bites on her neck, shoulders, back, arms and legs.
"At first, I thought it was some sort of allergic reaction to the swimming pool," Wekesser said. "They started getting better after a couple of days and putting on calamine lotion. I didn't consider going over to the health center."
But some of the bites got to be so bad, she used green masking tape on her bites to prevent from scratching as she slept.
Two weeks later, Wekesser caught two tiny bugs crawling around her room. She killed the first on her futon and caught the second in a Styrofoam cup. Wekesser taped clear plastic wrap over the cup so the bug wouldn't escape.
She contacted Selleck residence director Corrine Gernhart via email on Jan. 23 about finding what she called "mites" in her room.
"Please contact facilities today and let them know about the bugs in your room," Gernhart wrote back. "With so many concerns with bugs lately, I'm guessing they will want to come look around your room and maybe spray the perimeter again."
Facilities confirmed the "mite" had all the traits of a baby bedbug and gave Wekesser a laundry card to thoroughly do her laundry, she said. She was moved to a temporary room on a different floor.
Brooks Exterminating Service did not come until Jan. 24, and Wekesser said only a few things were sprayed, not the entire room.
"They figured a heat treatment would be a better option," she said.
In the days leading up to the heat treatment scheduled for Jan. 28, Wekesser said she asked about holding a floor meeting or sending a letter to her residents. The answer was no.
She said her instructions were to tell her residents her room was under extensive repairs, and only if her residents asked her.
"So I wrote it down briefly (on both of my doors) so I was doing what they said and so I could think about it," Wekesser said.
In an email, Gernhart wrote that she wouldn't recommend Wekesser sending a letter to her residents.
"If your residents are asking and you feel OK sharing, you can let them know that facilities is treating the room just to be cautious," Gernhart wrote.
But the deal was Wekesser could only inform her residents if she was asked directly.
Wekesser said on Jan. 25 she wrote on both her temporary and original rooms' doors that her room had been confirmed: It had bedbugs.
She also posted a note on her group's private Facebook page and slipped notes under a few of her residents' doors.
"I am not dirty or nasty," she wrote on her doors. "I feel that y'all should know about the situation though. I would want to know what was going on if I were in your position."
Wekesser only left the notes on the board long enough for her residents to see them and before a Housing employee could notice the notes.
"I'm willing to lose my job if need be, because this isn't right for them to not let the truth be known," Wekesser said. "I don't think it's right."
On Jan. 27, Gernhart sent a draft email to Wekesser, Residence Life associate director Keith Zaborowski and two others. The email told Wekesser's residents that "one dead bed bug was found" in Wekesser's room and a heat treatment would occur the next morning.
Gernhart wrote that the email needed to be sent because "I don't want them to think we are hiding anything from them when they notice the team on Saturday morning."
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25 comments
*Sometimes the exterminators will go to the rooms surrounding the room. Other times they don't. It often depends on the extent of the "infestation."*Residents of the room may or may not be offered temporary housing (removing a person to another room increases the likelihood that the bedbugs will travel with them).*Bedding and clothing of the residents in the room is washed thoroughly.*Information about the bedbugs is shared on a "need to know" basis, which means that it would be discussed with people that would directly affected, not a whole floor, building, or campus.
*The only time this would be shared with a floor, building, or campus would be if there were several cases.
*The reasoning behind this is 2-fold: First, sharing this information on a large-scale would cause unneeded distress amongst residents, which doesn't allow students to be personally or academically successful. Second, there is a lot of stigma surrounding bedbugs and sharing this on a need to know basis helps prevent the residents of the rooms from being targeted as "dirty people." (In reality, bedbugs have nothing to do with being dirty or clean).From what was shared in this article, I believe that for the most part, UNL Housing followed the general practices of the field. I wonder what the conversations looked like between the RA and her supervisor. Did the RA advocate for herself and residents clearly stating her concerns about not talking about the issues with her residents or did she just listen and get worked up once she left the office? Supervisors are not mind-readers and don't know every thought that their RAs have. People need to advocate for themselves and use their communication skills to do so. On another note, a lot of folks on this comment board have said that they pay too much for their housing. What people are paying for in not just a roof over their head. They're paying for their RAs, who work very hard to create positive experiences (through programs, conversations, and other things) and ensure people's safety. They're also paying for the housekeepers and facilities workers, who clean common areas in the building, make sure that plumbing is working, and that locks are being changed and keys are being tracked. They're paying for the Hall Directors and Central staff who facilitate the room move process, respond to emergencies, and serve as conduct hearing officers. They're paying for their utilities like high-speed internet, cable TV, water, and electricity. They're paying for Student Leadership opportunities like the Residence Hall Association, which hosted a region conference 2 years ago and hosted the Director of the Regional organization last year, and the National Residence Hall Honorary, which strives to recognize people for their accomplishments. Finally, they're paying for their meal plans, which cover the cost of food, the utilities needed for storage and preparation, and to pay the people that prepare and serve they're food. Overall, it isn't inexpensive to fund a department like Residence Life and it isn't often that people recognize everything that goes into making positive experiences for students during their formative years. I'm not saying that you need to go out and find all these people listed above and give them a giant hug and thank them for all they do (they might be creeped out by that), but I am that you don't take that all for granted.
Seems like there was a recent story at a large university about people telling higher ups about a problem and it being hidden, and then when it comes out, everyone backpedals. trying to hide it (see Penn State...) Although no where near as severe, same concept. These people think they are above the law because they are "Director" or an RD. I was in the dorms a few years ago, bunch of ego maniacs running around with no regard for the students, only for their titles RA, RD, Housing director. Good for this RA speaking out. More parents who are footing the bills need to call for some heads in the housing department, as the response to this was completely unprofessional. The first case was documented on January 9 and nothing was said to the students until January 20.
. And the news conference was almost a month from the first discovery, after they were called out by the local media stations.
Prove it!! Give me proof! I suspect you don't have the guts to sign your name to this cause you know its a lie. Prove me wrong or accept the fact that you are liar. Come on weasel speak.
The University had better act. Now!. I will do my part to spread the truth. No excuses will do, nor will any cover-ups be allowed. If UNL wants to be considered a responsible, respected, institution this kind of stupid clownish behavior has got to be dealt with, NOW!
If the U wants to ask us to live with vermin in a flea bag hotel then I think they should adjust their housing rates accordingly. We're paying to much to live in some roach hotel.