I was appalled by the bedbug story (“Students say BU director threatened them to keep quiet about bedbug story,” Oct. 4, p. 1), but the actual bedbug problem was not what bothered me.
Last semester, I had my own encounter with bedbugs while studying abroad in Sydney, Australia. When I woke up to find bedbugs in my bed one day, I finally realized that my bites were not from mosquitoes. Upon reporting the problem, a member of the Sydney staff came to my apartment that day with garbage bags. My apartment was bug-bombed and all of my linen was replaced. They also promised to reimburse me for my laundry costs and have a professional exterminator spray my room. The Sydney staff members were friendly, helpful and responsive in getting the problem taken care of quickly. They explained that bedbugs were common in traveling, and had equal chances of being picked up at a cheap hostel or a five-star hotel, depending on who had slept in the bed last. The program director even recommended a good anti-itch cream for me to use on my bug bites.
I felt overwhelmed knowing that I was going to have to spend all night cleaning my apartment, doing laundry, studying for an exam and preparing to leave for Spring Break the following day. Luckily, my professor was nice enough to give me an extension on my paper due the next day so that I would have adequate time to take care of the matter and not let it hinder my academic performance.
I think Boston University International Programs should look at these two incidents comparably by the way the different staffs handled them. I remember when I studied abroad in London in summer 2006 hearing many students complaining about the incompetence and unfriendliness of the student life staff. Recently, I attended a study-abroad focus group, and I learned that the student life staff’s reputation has still not improved. But in contrast, I found the greatest asset of the Sydney program is its staff, which truly cares about the students and their wellbeing.
BU’s study abroad programs are generally strong, and many other reputable universities send their students on them. However, it’s an embarrassment to the school when the staff of one of its programs damages the integrity of the study abroad experience and the university as a whole.
Sheffia Lenox
CAS/COM ’08
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