Hide and squeak: Rodents cross students on campus, in dorms

After seeing mice several times in her brownstone on Bay State Road last year, School of Education junior Kim Serra was so scared she couldn’t fall asleep.

“The first time I saw the mouse this year, it really freaked me out to the point that I woke up my roommate to look for it,” said Serra, who lives in the Education House. “We saw it scurry under my bed, but we could not find it afterward. I was too nervous to sleep on my bed, so my roommate and I slept in the common room of our house for the night.”

Serra said she reported the incident to Facilities Management and Planning, who sent an exterminator to set up steel wool and mouse traps to catch any mice in the room. Since then, she has no longer had a mice problem.

However, Serra’s incident is not uncommon – many Boston University students living on Bay State Road said they have seen mice in their brownstones.

While officials have addressed many of the mice sightings in residences, some students continue to spot rodents around residences.

One student, a College of General Studies sophomore who wished to remain anonymous, said that rodents are on Bay State Road “all the time.”

“I walk home at night because I usually study in [Student Village] II, and then I walk home at three or four in the morning,” the student said. “I see them all the time. Mostly they’re . . . near the residences. Like at StuVi II, a rat maybe a foot long was coming out of the trash can.”

The student added that rats are often on Bay State Road, and that they disperse as he passes them.

“Rats have been directly in the buildings on Bay State there, so on the street, in the shrubbery, around the ivy areas and same for mice as well,” he said.

Assistant Vice President of Operations and Services Bill Walter said in an email interview that the mice sightings are due to BU’s proximity to the Charles River, highways and rail lines, as well as cold weather and construction activity, where pests tend to gather. Operations and Services inspect properties for traces of pests and anything that might attract them, he said.

“We practice Integrated Pest Management practices that involve inspections of our properties, elimination of food and harborage, identification of pests and exclusion measures to keep them out of our facilities,” Walter said. “Our licensed exterminators apply industry’s best practices and State regulated treatment to eliminate and control pests.”

He said, however, that Operation and Services records “do not support there being an infestation” of pests.

Residence Life Director David Zamojski said that BU has “first-rate pest control professionals” at hand to address problems with mice, but that rodents are a common issue in the city.

“I’ve lived in the city a long time, and rodents are here in the city. However, if you see a mouse inside your accommodations, you should alert your RA or your local Residence Life office,” he said.

Haley Jensen, an SED sophomore who also lives in the Education House, said she started hearing noises and tried repeatedly to catch a mouse in her room with the help of friends for a week and a half before she “broke down” and called Buildings and Grounds for help. The mouse was caught within an hour, she said.

“The same guy came twice and he was awesome. He helped me sort through all my food too, like anything that had been nibbled through,” Jensen said. “B&G called someone, too, and they came during the day to fill any holes.”

When it comes to addressing the sightings, Walter said some students have not reported pest concerns to their resident assistant, preventing Residence Life from addressing any mouse issues.

“Unfortunately, there have been problems that have not been reported, resulting in needless delays and frustration,” Walter said. “If there is an emergency or serious concern, contact the Facilities Operation and Service Center.”