Column by Olivia O’Hea

O’Hea is a first-year law, politics and society and journalism double major and can be reached at [email protected]

They’re scurrying, they’re scratching, they’re climbing in your windows and may even be snatching your people up. They’re mice and they’re everywhere.

With the onset of two consecutive winter storms, the rodent problem is worse than ever. I can’t blame them — I know I wouldn’t stay outside in this weather. However, just because I sympathize doesn’t mean I like them. As a former vegetarian, I have respect for all creatures that grace this planet, yet I don’t think it’s too much to ask that these creatures don’t rampage my room every time some snow falls.

Stalnaker was hit especially hard this year. One first-year resident, Brittany Fish, reported four sightings in her room. She and her roommate caught three, with the help of the maintenance staff, and one appears to have gone rogue somewhere in the hallway.

What’s a resident to do when they find mice poo littering their futon? Unfortunately there are not many options, unless someone has the phone number for the Pied Piper.

Sticky traps keep the mouse alive, which is great. They also make it almost impossible to remove the mouse from the trap without ripping off its limbs, which is not so great. I’m no sadist, and I can’t imagine many residents want to dismember small, furry animals, so sticky traps are out of the question.

Spring traps kill mice on contact with a swift blow to the neck. If you find joy in removing bloody, severed carcasses from metal death traps then this is probably your best bet. If this is the case, though, I would also suggest some serious self-reflection.

As a Stalnaker resident, I too have been victim to the invasion of the rodents. Luckily, my roommate and I found the crack in our wall where the mouse entered and stuffed it with Scotch Brite steel wool. Mice can’t chew through the material and it doubles as a great washcloth for stainless steel!

If you spot a mouse in your room put all food away and contact a residence advisor immediately — they file all of the reports with the maintenance staff. Let’s take back our halls — to arms, citizens, to arms!