By Samantha Moll
Mice are an issue for many students, whether they live on campus or off campus, but some students are unaware they do not need to set traps to get rid of mice – they just need to place a work order or contact their landlord.
According to the State Sanitary Code, which sets the standards for Boston Housing, said Gail Olyha, director of the Office of Off-Campus Student Services, residences need to be insect and rodent free.
“If the landlord only owns one unit, then the tenant is responsible for pest control,” Olyha said. “If the landlord owns two or more units, then the landlord is responsible for extermination.”
Maraithe Thomas, a sophomore English major, said she has a lot of mice in her room in Loftman Hall. She and her roommates decided to place a work order after they smelled a dead mouse last month.
Even though maintenance set traps, and Thomas and her roommates try to keep trash off the floor, she said she still has a problem.
“It’s impossible to get rid of all of the mice,” she said.
Because the university acts as a landlord to students living on campus, students are not responsible for pest control in the residence halls.
“The university contracts with a licensed pest control company that has worked on campus for over 20 years,” said Mark Boulter, Director of Building Services. “They utilize the latest Integrated Pest Management techniques in the industry and are on campus seven days a week.”
The process students should use for getting rid of mice off campus is similar to the process on campus students should use.
Off campus students need to bring the rodent issue to the landlord’s attention, preferably in writing so there is a record of it, Olyha said. If the landlord does not respond in a reasonable amount of time, then the student should report the problem to the Inspectional Services Department.
On campus students should notify the Facilities Department and tell them there is a problem by submitting a work order on-line, Boulter said.
“All work orders are reviewed on a daily basis by the contractor and responded to within 24 hours,” Boulter said.
In addition to responding quickly to pest control work orders, Northeastern also works to seal off access points where mice could enter the residence halls, particularly in the basements, Boulter said.
Even if students do not see mice, they may still have them. Zac Delagrange, a middler business major living off campus, said droppings, and holes in trash and food bags are signs of mice.
“I only see one or two at a time, but I think we have a lot more than that,” Delagrange said.
Boulter offered some mice prevention advice for on-campus students, but the advice is also applicable to students living off campus.
“First, do not leave food open or exposed. Place all food in a sealable container,” Boulter said. “Secondly, place all trash in a solid waste receptacle with a lid and remove the trash daily to the appropriate common area trash room located in the building. All trash should be removed before leaving for holiday, intercession or spring break periods especially.”
If students living off campus have any questions about their pest control rights, they should contact the Office of Off-Campus Student Services, Olyha said.
