Mice no longer a problem according to student life
Bridget Donovan
Issue date: 2/26/10 Section: News
Mice tend to seek warm shelter during the cold parts of winter, but the Student Life office said the few mice that found shelter in Knudsen early this winter have been dealt with.
Jay Prescott, vice president for student affairs, said he has been aware of mice in Knudsen for a while. He said a meeting is held every Tuesday where campus-wide issues are discussed, including the mice in Knudsen, a problem they discussed and began dealing with in early January.
"The mice issue has not come up in our Tuesday meetings for the last two weeks," Prescott said. "So it's been three weeks since we've heard anything from the students."
Whitley Schertz, nursing freshman who lives in Knudsen, said she saw a mouse in her dorm room a few weeks before finals, but she hasn't seen any mice since then.
"But I've heard about them," Schertz said. "A couple rooms down from me, they said they had one in their room, about two weeks ago, maybe three."
Schertz's claim supports Prescott's belief that the mice have been gone for close to three weeks.
Prescott said it is not uncommon for mice to find their way into one of the dorms or other buildings when it's extremely cold out.
"We deal with it for a span of time and then they're taken care of and we don't have any more," Prescott said.
It's important for students who see mice in their dorm rooms to tell the college immediately, because according to Orkin Pest Control, a pair of mice can produce up to 200 offspring in four months.
Prescott said students should notify Kathleen McIllece, housing director, or Bonita Bontrager, director of residence life, if they see mice in any of the buildings. Traps will be provided for the students when mice are reported so they can be placed in the student's room.
"If they catch mice, we don't expect students to have to clean them up by themselves," Prescott said. "We'll come and do that if they need us to."
Prescott said mice are attracted to areas where food is left out or in unsealed packages.
"Typically, the students respond by cleaning their rooms better and keeping foods in their proper containers," Prescott said. "And that's what I would encourage students to do."
Jay Prescott, vice president for student affairs, said he has been aware of mice in Knudsen for a while. He said a meeting is held every Tuesday where campus-wide issues are discussed, including the mice in Knudsen, a problem they discussed and began dealing with in early January.
"The mice issue has not come up in our Tuesday meetings for the last two weeks," Prescott said. "So it's been three weeks since we've heard anything from the students."
Whitley Schertz, nursing freshman who lives in Knudsen, said she saw a mouse in her dorm room a few weeks before finals, but she hasn't seen any mice since then.
"But I've heard about them," Schertz said. "A couple rooms down from me, they said they had one in their room, about two weeks ago, maybe three."
Schertz's claim supports Prescott's belief that the mice have been gone for close to three weeks.
Prescott said it is not uncommon for mice to find their way into one of the dorms or other buildings when it's extremely cold out.
"We deal with it for a span of time and then they're taken care of and we don't have any more," Prescott said.
It's important for students who see mice in their dorm rooms to tell the college immediately, because according to Orkin Pest Control, a pair of mice can produce up to 200 offspring in four months.
Prescott said students should notify Kathleen McIllece, housing director, or Bonita Bontrager, director of residence life, if they see mice in any of the buildings. Traps will be provided for the students when mice are reported so they can be placed in the student's room.
"If they catch mice, we don't expect students to have to clean them up by themselves," Prescott said. "We'll come and do that if they need us to."
Prescott said mice are attracted to areas where food is left out or in unsealed packages.
"Typically, the students respond by cleaning their rooms better and keeping foods in their proper containers," Prescott said. "And that's what I would encourage students to do."
Be the first to comment on this story