Spring Break
Home is where the bats are
Issue date: 3/18/08 Section: Editorial
Last update: 3/18/08 at 7:03 AM EST
Last update: 3/18/08 at 7:03 AM EST
When the administration released its plan for the construction of a "New West" campus, future Dukies had one clear reason to celebrate: Central Campus is going to be torn down.
But for current students, and several classes to come, the prospect of living on Central is increasingly spooky-and they have the bats to prove it. Residence Life and Housing Services needs to step up its efforts and make sure that Central remains a safe, livable housing option.
Though it is understandable, and even sensible, that RLHS will not pour millions of dollars into apartments that will eventually be demolished, it does not mean that the students living on Central Campus for the next decade or more should be neglected.
Such neglect, unfortunately, characterized RLHS' handling of the recent bat scare on Central Campus.
When several students reported finding bats inside their Central apartments, RLHS responded in an inconsistent and alarmingly unsafe fashion.
First, RLHS did not follow its own policy. Central Campus Residential Facilities Manager John Duncan stated that the standard procedure for handling bats is to capture the animal, call animal control and have the bat tested for rabies. Several Central Campus residents said, however, that this procedure was not followed. And in at least one case, a bat that could potentially have been infected with rabies was released back into the wild without testing.
This alone would have been disconcerting, but the response of RLHS officials to the problem has been even more inexcusable.
According to Durham County Animal Control officials, finding a bat inside a residence constitutes an emergency because of the potential for rabies infection. In the face of this threat, Dean of Residence Life and Executive Director of Housing Services Eddie Hull dismissed the bat problem, asserting that bats are "harmless to humans, but great for ridding the area of flying insects."
Great as bats may be for the ecosystem, this unresponsive response flatly disregarded the considerable risk bats pose to the students who should be RLHS' primary concern.
Because students insisted that the bats entered apartments through ventilation systems or holes in the roof, RLHS should inspect the integrity of their apartments and move to patch any holes that could let a bat enter. Animal control procedures, furthermore, must be clearly communicated to employees at all levels and followed consistently.
Whether the problem is bats, mold or a leaky roof, RLHS needs to respond quickly and tend to the needs of its customers. Cosmetic improvements or full-scale renovations are not necessary for Central-but basic structural improvements are.
Statements from students about the bat scare showed deep disillusionment with and lack of faith in RLHS, particularly regarding its neglect of Central Campus. No aspect of the University should provoke such widespread lack of confidence in the students-particularly a division whose purview is literally so close to home for students.
But for current students, and several classes to come, the prospect of living on Central is increasingly spooky-and they have the bats to prove it. Residence Life and Housing Services needs to step up its efforts and make sure that Central remains a safe, livable housing option.
Though it is understandable, and even sensible, that RLHS will not pour millions of dollars into apartments that will eventually be demolished, it does not mean that the students living on Central Campus for the next decade or more should be neglected.
Such neglect, unfortunately, characterized RLHS' handling of the recent bat scare on Central Campus.
When several students reported finding bats inside their Central apartments, RLHS responded in an inconsistent and alarmingly unsafe fashion.
First, RLHS did not follow its own policy. Central Campus Residential Facilities Manager John Duncan stated that the standard procedure for handling bats is to capture the animal, call animal control and have the bat tested for rabies. Several Central Campus residents said, however, that this procedure was not followed. And in at least one case, a bat that could potentially have been infected with rabies was released back into the wild without testing.
This alone would have been disconcerting, but the response of RLHS officials to the problem has been even more inexcusable.
According to Durham County Animal Control officials, finding a bat inside a residence constitutes an emergency because of the potential for rabies infection. In the face of this threat, Dean of Residence Life and Executive Director of Housing Services Eddie Hull dismissed the bat problem, asserting that bats are "harmless to humans, but great for ridding the area of flying insects."
Great as bats may be for the ecosystem, this unresponsive response flatly disregarded the considerable risk bats pose to the students who should be RLHS' primary concern.
Because students insisted that the bats entered apartments through ventilation systems or holes in the roof, RLHS should inspect the integrity of their apartments and move to patch any holes that could let a bat enter. Animal control procedures, furthermore, must be clearly communicated to employees at all levels and followed consistently.
Whether the problem is bats, mold or a leaky roof, RLHS needs to respond quickly and tend to the needs of its customers. Cosmetic improvements or full-scale renovations are not necessary for Central-but basic structural improvements are.
Statements from students about the bat scare showed deep disillusionment with and lack of faith in RLHS, particularly regarding its neglect of Central Campus. No aspect of the University should provoke such widespread lack of confidence in the students-particularly a division whose purview is literally so close to home for students.
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