Tappan Hall faces bed bugs scare

Tappan Hall, located on the south end of Miami University’s campus, had a scare when residents discovered bed bugs in one dorm room the week of Sept. 17. Despite initial fears of a building-wide infestation, residents say Tappan staff managed the situation well, resolving it within days.

Audrey, a sophomore finance major, is the roommate of the resident who brought the bed bugs and said the insects most likely came from home. The resident immediately reported the issue to Resident Director Cameron Aloway, who instructed both residents to heat treat everything and put items in bags.

In an email to residents, Aloway wrote that Tappan staff immediately responded to the situation behind the scenes by following established protocols and contacting the facilities department to treat the affected rooms.

On the evening of Sept. 17, resident assistants informed all Tappan residents about the situation and warned them on GroupMe to avoid using the laundry room until further notice.

Many residents at Tappan were left to wonder how serious the infestation was. One resident, Georgia Taylor, said she thought the entire building had bed bugs.

“People were worried if the building was infected and if they were gonna be able to do laundry,” Taylor said. “People were scared it was going to take a while to deal with.”

However, she added that she was impressed with how quickly the university responded.

Audrey said she requested to move into another dorm and opted to stay at a hotel until the move was arranged. She said the university was very understanding and by Sept. 19, they relocated her to a new room in Tappan.

On the morning of Sept. 18, Aloway sent an email to all Tappan residents, assuring them “the staff has a handle on the situation” and explaining that Miami’s Physical Facilities Department was alerted.

When asked how often bed bugs are found at Miami, Director of Residence Life Rob Abowitz said they are uncommon. Abowitz also wanted to stress that at most, “bed bugs are a nuisance” and discussed some more serious health risks to students on campus.

“[These include] the unsexy things like handwashing, covering your mouth when you have a cold, getting cold symptoms treated,” Abowitz said.

He said the university has strict protocols to handle possible bed bug incidents. When a potential incident is reported, the university immediately contacts the physical facilities team, who then contacts an outside contractor. The contractor fully assesses the affected rooms and any adjoining areas that could have been exposed.

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After the assessment, treatments range from spraying affected areas to physical removal or thermal remediation. However, Abowitz stressed that “the most important part is contacting a professional, they come and do an assessment.”

The situation at the dorm ended as quickly as it had begun. By 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 18, a licensed pest control company arrived to inspect the affected room, where they found and removed two bed bugs. As a precaution, they also treated common areas, including kitchenettes, hallways, bathrooms and laundry room.

In a follow-up email, Aloway told residents, “They believe the incident is isolated at this point, but we will continue to monitor the situation.” On Sept. 19, residents were told that the washers and dryers were safe to use again.

gollispd@miamioh.edu