Comments on: Boston University’s bed bugs: if we don’t talk about them, they’ll go away

By: Boston University dorm residents bitten by bed bugs : Got bed bugs? Bedbugger.com

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:16:10 +0000

[...] not the first time BU has had to deal with the itchy problem. In February 2007, they were in Shelton Hall, and the Daily Free Press at BU said students were asked to keep quiet [...]

By: parakeets

parakeets — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:07:01 +0000

Yes, nobugs, this is better than most. I was thinking of the administration’s quotes. Students will stand up for the truth and I think college students will be a vocal ally in the war against bedbugs.

By: jessinchicago

jessinchicago — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 02:55:20 +0000

I’m just glad the paper allowed this student to voice his/her views- which are right on the money, if you overlook the ignorance, which actually is not all that bad when compared to that of the general public.

Yes, ‘Keets, it’s a damn shame, the whole cover up/spin job. I guess in this situation, anyway, BU is showing its mediocrity, at least at the administration level. Wouldn’t it be great if those administrators instead chose to make BU THE most informed and informative institution in America? A shame.

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:34:49 +0000

Parakeets,
This is actually from an independent student paper at BU, and it seems pretty critical of the admin’s approach, for what it’s worth.
I think the lack of truth is in that the editorial writer doesn’t know much about bed bugs. But they’re hardly praising the admin’s methods–they’re calling for students to be told about the problem.

By: parakeets

parakeets — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:12:54 +0000

This is another college just spitting out the ol’ “college rag spin” on bedbugs. Haven’t we seen almost the identical article before in other universities? This was a profoundly calculated public relations ploy on the part of a university to calm PARENTS down (parents pay the very expensive room and board and would pull Johnnie and Sally as soon as they heard the word “bedbugs.”) The fact that this kind of article is so prevalent nation-wide is absolute proof that colleges are terrified of the whole bedbug issue. “News” like this reminds me of the “Pravda” journalism in the former Soviet Union. Two years ago I personally saw firsthand a serious case of how the administration of a university controls the news the student newspaper prints and itt disllusioned me. (Not bedbugs, but the same type “spin” on facts so that alumni and such wouldn’t worry). I believe if the students who had bedbugs had actually written that article, it would be quite different. When writers who have bedbugs, such as Bonnie Friedman, write articles, the articles ring with truth. This article was not journalism, it was “spin.”

By: Caryn

Caryn — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:07:37 +0000

Yeah, and especially as a BU alum, I’d love it if they started dealing with it publicly. I’m preaching to the choir here, but awareness and education goes so far in combatting widespread bedbug problems.