Students said they received an unpleasant bedbug surprise while staying in London this summer, but the sluggish and disrespectful reaction of Boston University administrators to reports of pest problems is perhaps more shocking than the small, itchy bites the pests inflict on their hosts.
BU’s study-abroad affiliates in London stepped beyond all bounds of reasonable and courteous service by doubting pest reports from students and delaying professional treatment of affected residences. Second guessing student reports without thorough investigation and then threatening students to keep them quiet and preserve the reputation of the luxurious housing experience would not fly on the Charles River Campus, and should not by the Thames.
The despicable lack of accountability and accommodation in London is amplified by the fact that students studying abroad face significant obstacles as foreigners, and the study-abroad program exists to facilitate safe, comfortable living situations away from the American campus. Students studying abroad during the summer do so to enjoy the experience, not to pay for expensive classes, residence and program fees and then live in unsanitary conditions. Students in London do not have the same options they do in their home country if something goes wrong. Staying with a friend until the bugs are gone, picking a hotel or hostel in a safe neighborhood or even seeking alternative housing is difficult without full knowledge of the city, especially if a student is abroad for the first time.
When study-abroad students contacted London program administrators about a pest program, they deserved prompt responses and professional, thorough extermination treatments for infected locations. It is in the best interests of both students and the administration to identify and eradicate pest populations before they grow and before valuable property in upscale neighborhoods is compromised by an insect problem.
The report of students and administrators disagreeing about the treatment for, and even presence of, bedbugs at BU’s London properties illustrates the breakdown of communication channels. Administrators in London should have warned students to look for bedbugs and report bites and sightings immediately.
This summer, a bedbug population boom was reported throughout Britain. In a Sept. 30 article, The Daily Mail reported bedbug populations in the last two years were up as much as 500 percent in cities like London. Warm, summertime weather contributes to the bedbug population explosion, as does frequent travel, according to a July 5 Guardian article. The weekend travel habits of the study-abroad student are likely to bring bedbugs back to BU residences on clothing and luggage. Rather than avoiding and denying the bedbug issue, BU London administrators should have informed students of their heightened risk for collecting the pests while traveling and then worked with students for a proactive approach to pest prevention and swift solutions to existing infestations.
BU needs to reconsider the way it communicates with students abroad. Not only should there be access to administrators in Boston, but the support staff abroad should meet all the standards hospitality administrators in Boston are held to. British Programmes Associate Director Alison Campbell’s reported statements questioning students’ claims and suggesting bedbug bite marks were self-inflicted is insulting, and this page questions her refusal to discuss the matter.
The administrative response to students’ legitimate concerns has been not only negligent, but repugnant. Students abroad deserve at least the same attention they receive in Boston and, if Boston University cannot guarantee reasonable accommodation in abroad programs, it should stop hyping the once-of-a-lifetime experiences to current and prospective students and reevaluate the programs.
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