Egads! Look out for roaches! The diminutive creatures seemed to swarm first-year dormitories this year as students moved in for fall semester at the University.
While smiling RAs attempted to interest the first years in ice-breakers for their first night on Grounds, 3-inch cockroach beasts stared up at the fresh faces with their curious looking eyes, and then quickly scurried away. Yes, that's right -- greeters, RAs and cockroaches -- all smiles.
Students have spotted the dark and ugly creatures crawling through bathroom stalls, meandering down the hallways and even searching through closets, all desperately looking for a meal.
"I saw the first roach on move-in day," first-year College student Megan Ess said. "I was talking on the phone and saw it scurry along in front of me. I screamed and whacked it with a shoe." Ess says she's killed 15 more of the bugs since then.
Other students also have had close encounters with the creepy little creatures.
"When I was plugging in my phone jack behind my bed I saw a dead roach that looked like it had been fried for days," first-year College student Pat Buchannan said. "I went to pick it up and its wing just fell right off."
Considering the condition in which he found the roach, Buchannan believes the bug most likely had been behind his bed before he moved in.
American cockroaches are the most common species found scurrying around Grounds. They feed on dry leaves and live in the mulch.
Due to Charlottesville's unusually dry summer, the roach problem was almost unavoidable.
"Cockroaches can smell the water from the dorms," University Pesticide Applicator William Slocum said.
For most, however, the cockroach problem hasn't had as great an impact as expected.
Only about 50 cockroach-related phone calls have been made to the Housing Division since move-in day, while there are more than 6,700 beds on Grounds. The worries just don't seem to be there.
Each call is followed by a visit from the University's contracted exterminator. So far, all cases have shown success in eliminating the roaches.
Even so, some students are choosing to take a more laid back approach to dealing with the matter instead of contacting Housing.
"When I went to grab my flip-flops out of my closet and saw a roach climbing around the toe thong, I simply opened my door and flung the thing into a trash can," first-year College student Meredith Stidham said. "I wasn't concerned enough to call anyone."
But even if you're not as brave as Stidham, University students should feel relieved to know that if they do want something to be done about the cockroaches, Housing is more than welcome to step in and help.
All you have to do is call.
According to Housing Office Chief Mark Doherty, an exterminator will be sent in less than 24 hours to spray the necessary areas as soon as students have notified Housing of their problem.
There are, however, two challenges that must be overcome when exterminating. First, exposure to the harsh chemicals is potentially dangerous. Despite the fact that the exterminators use only FDA-approved chemicals, too much exposure still is a concern.
Slocum explained that Housing rarely uses harsh chemicals, and typically baits the roaches with poison that acts as a birth control. The poison is much safer for humans.
The extermination process is safe, and students with worries about the chemical exposure shouldn't fret, Slocum said.
The other difficulty with exterminating roaches is they sometimes develop an immunity to the poison, which often makes them difficult to get rid of.
Appointments can be arranged for weekends if students are able to go home.
Students suffering from roach problems can call 924-3053 for help.
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