Room Swap Week

Beginning at 12 noon on Friday, September 16, through the end of the day on Thursday, September 22, we will hold our Fall Room Swap week. This is when our housing freeze will officially lift, and if you have someone who is willing to swap spaces with you, you are allowed to do so. This is NOT for students who are not currently living on campus.

To swap rooms, please follow the following procedure:

·         Between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, the students who are actually swapping need to go to either the J-2-1 Apartments Office in The Olde, or the A-18 Residence Hall Office in Big Haus, with their campus IDs and room keys to complete the appropriate paperwork.

·         Please note:

·         Both students must visit the appropriate office at the same time for switch to be processed.

·         Student will have two days to complete the move.

·         You MUST be eligible to live in the apartments to switch there – either over 21 years old, or with a minimum of 50 earned hours as of the end of Spring 2011 (junior status).

·         If you reside in the residence halls, you MUST have a residential meal plan, even if you are moving from the apartments.

·         If you have an apartment to residence hall or vice versa swap, you will need to make sure paperwork is completed in both area offices.

·         If your new room has a new room rate, you will be responsible for the difference in rates, and that will be added to your bill!

Waitlists

The Office of Residence Life is still working to house those who have lived off-campus or were former commuters in no-campus housing for the Fall 2011 semester. These people will continue to be communicated with as space is available for them to reside on campus.

Waitlists for those currently in housing will begin on Monday, September 26. It is not anticipated that we will immediately have spaces available, but if we are able to place students in hosuing that meet their needs, we will.

Bed Bugs

During the past 2 to 3 years, the instances of bed bug infestations have increased at an alarming rate at motels, hotels, retail stores, movie theatres, and college campuses around the world. Instances of bed bug infestations have been reported at many universities in their on campus residential housing and the nearby off campus apartments.  Purchase College has not been immune from this bed bug problem. We have had only a few occurrences within our residence halls and would like to keep it at this low level.  We are providing this bed bug advisory in an effort to help prevent the introduction of bed bugs into your living areas.

A bed bug is an insect with piercing-sucking mouthparts. It can bite and suck the blood out like a mosquito. It is oval and flat and is about 3/16 to 1/4 inches long. Bed bugs most often feed on people at night while they are asleep in their beds. Their bites leave small white to red welts, and the bites itch intensely. Bed bugs will normally bite exposed areas of skin and other areas where the clothing does not fit tightly to the body.  The bite reactions are most often in a cluster of 3-4 bites or in a line of bites.  The reaction to the bed bug bite is not always the same for all people.  There are individuals that do not react to the bed bug bite, while there are many that react severely to the bed bug bite.  Research indicates that the bed bug does not transmit any diseases.  Normally the most severe of issues that arise from bed bug bites would be infections that occur from the scratching of the intense itching.

The cleanliness of the motel, hotel, or apartment is not always a true indication of whether there might be a problem. The guest that stayed the night before you in the room may have left an unwanted surprise. Bed bugs arrived in this country from overseas most often in the luggage and personal belongings of guests. Most recently they have started to show up in facilities that have a lot of public traffic such as retail stores dressing rooms, movie theaters, and public transportation systems.  They are then transported from these locations to other locations -- like your home or residence hall space.

To avoid bringing bed bugs back with you from break travel...

• Inspect the bed in your motel/hotel. Take the sheet and pull it back and look at the folds and seams of the mattress. Check the mattress pad for signs of blood spots about the size of a pencil point.
• Check around the head board and the night stand near the bed for any signs of spots or live insects.
• When packing to leave, check your clothing and luggage for signs of the small insects.
• If you get bitten while staying in a motel/hotel, look very carefully around the mattress and bed to try to determine if it is bed bugs. Report the situation to motel/hotel staff.
• Bed bugs can be killed by heat over 115 degrees. If you discover bed bugs in your clothing or linen, place them in clothes dryer and run it on high heat for 20 minutes.
• When returning from travel you should unpack your suit case directly into a plastic bag and immediately take the clothing to a clothes dryer and run them through a high heat cycle for 20 minutes.

If you take care to check out the areas where you stay and check your luggage before coming home or back to the residence halls, you will significantly reduce the chances of bed bug infestation.

If you have questions about this info, email: rli@purchase.edu. If you have pest control concerns in your room, please contact your area office in A-18 or J-2-1 to complete a service request.