The infestation only added to the frustrations of Goucher DVA residents, many of whom did not wish to live off-campus in the first place.

Last year, all forced-triple rooms were made into doubles, to adhere to fire safety policies and student comforts.

This lead to a lack of housing space for about 100 upperclassmen, who were told they would be living in the Quarter, the unfinished apartment complex across the street from Goucher.

When this semester began, it was clear the Quarter was not finished. Residents were temporarily housed in DVA, with the promise that they would be moved in by October 1, a deadline that was eventually pushed back to January 2009.

“This is just a nightmare for us all,” said President Sandy Ungar at a town hall meeting last Wednesday.

“Let me begin with an apology. We’re sorry we’re here,” he said. “I’m disillusioned with some of the things that have happened. I believe we should accept responsibility. We trusted people who were not worthy of our trust. We care deeply about our students and their well-being,” he said.

Students were moved out of the DVA apartments for fear of a possible bed bug epidemic. Vice president and dean of students Gail Edmonds prepared a bed bug information sheet for all DVA residents on how to best detect the bugs and proper cleaning techniques.

“After consulting with other schools and biology professors, we’ve determined that [the bed bug problem] is only at the tip of the iceberg. [The bugs] are probably in the walls and wirings of the apartments. We find that unacceptable,” said director of community living Scott Eckhart.

Currently, there are only three confirmed apartments with bed bugs: DVA 903, DVC 901 and the Sutherly apartment, though there are more apartments with reports.

“Our room was inspected and they said they didn’t find any bed bugs, but we definitely have them,” Jeremy Chase-Israel ‘10 said. “It’s not like we’re biting ourselves. I have to sleep in a chair with a hoodie on. We have bed bugs, it’s just not officially confirmed.”

Students will not be able to move into the Quarter because construction is not finished, despite promises from Quarter representatives.

What’s more, senior staff were recently informed Quarter builders haven’t even received the necessary Baltimore County Building Permit.

“The situation sucks. We didn’t get screwed in just one way, we got screwed in two or three ways,” Ungar said.

“I think how we proceed will really define us,” said Dan Amodeo ‘09, a community assistant (CA) for the DVA residents. “This is not something you do alone. This is something out of our care or control.”

The SGA sponsored a help move-out last Saturday and Sunday at which all students were welcomed to help box and move items from the apartments to DVC and the Sheraton.

“Even for those of us who aren’t affected, it could have easily been one of us, so we ought to make this a collective student effort,” SGA President Sam Adatto ‘09 said.

“We’re getting kicked out of our home for the second time. We won’t get a kitchen at the Sheraton and I have to send my pet home. We don’t want to be moved at all,” Ilana Foglia ‘10 said.

The move will cost Goucher a fortune. Vice President for Finance Tom Phizacklea, said that the cost of housing students in the Sheraton for the remainder of the semester and reimbursements for lost property, extra storage, and Gopher Bucks compensation is currently expected to cost Goucher approximately $138,000.

Approximately 66 students were moved into doubles in the Sheraton Hotel, where they will stay for the remainder of the semester.

The rest of the students will move to Dulaney Valley Crescent Apartments, and a few will move back on campus. Some students have said they want to seek alternative off-campus housing elsewhere and a few chose to stay at DVA, signing a waiver to accept responsibility for any problems that occur at the apartments.

Source: thequindecim.com