Butler isn’t just your second home. Recently a group of bedbugs got comfortable in room 407.
On Monday morning, a student emailed the library staff to report that he’d seen a bedbug on a chair in a fourth floor group study room.
Francie Mrkich, director of Access Services, said as soon as the email was received, a librarian checked it out and professional exterminators were called that afternoon.
But library personnel found more than just pests there. A student, who was between apartments, brought his stuff to Butler on Sunday, Mrkich said. According to students the staff found suitcases, a toothbrush, and coffeemaker in the area.
“We talked with the student and made it clear that Butler is for studying and research only,” Mrkich said, adding that he wasn’t banned. “We can’t ban him because we don’t know where the bedbugs started. It wouldn’t be fair.”
Mrkich said the student hadn’t been living there, adding that stories she’d hear around campus were exaggerated.
Arianna Sanders, CC ’12, for example, heard a homeless person was found on campus. “The more concerning thing is the apparent homeless man that was also living in Butler library,” Sanders said, when asked if she was worried about the bedbugs.
While no other rooms on the floor were found to have bedbugs, steps are now being taken to prevent further infestation, including routine inspections.
“Everybody in the library is taking this incident very seriously,” Mrkich said.
The library plans to reopen the rooms on Friday, Mrkich said.
She added they were grateful to the student who originally reported the problem.
“It was that proactive email that allowed us to take care of the problem and isolate it very quickly,” Mrkich said.
Sanders said she isn’t very troubled by bedbugs, as they are a part of life in the city.
“It’s a little gross, but it’s a NYC problem,” Sanders said. “I’m not concerned about bed bugs in general.”
Trey Toy, CC ’14, on the other hand, said he would stay out of Butler for awhile.
“I’ll probably write all of my papers in my room now that I know about this,” Toy said.
Emma Stein contributed reporting.
COMMENTS
Comments will be moderated in accordance with our comment policy