MEMORANDUM

I am writing to provide a status report on our response to the bed bug situation at John Jay College and to announce our next steps.

Our second Community Forum will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, September 29, from 2:00 to 3:30 in the small gymnasium on the fourth floor of Haaren Hall.  I encourage people to come to learn about the results of our inspections at Haaren Hall and Westport, and to get your questions answered by the experts.  In advance of the Forum, I would like to address two issues that arose in conversations with faculty, staff and students today:

• The treatment of Haaren Hall over the weekend went very smoothly, and ended ahead of schedule last night.  Some employees in Haaren Hall have noted a slight odor in the air.  In response to these complaints, we checked with the experts at Assured Environments, the company that conducted the treatment, who confirmed the possibility that slight odors could be detected this morning, but reassured us that the chemicals used for the treatment are safe.  As was announced earlier by Don Gray, our Dean of Human Resources, if employees continue to have concerns in this regard, they should speak with their supervisor.
• Some employees returning to North Hall and Haaren Hall this morning were concerned when they learned that their offices or work-stations had NOT been treated over the past few days.  At our Community Forum on Thursday, the experts from Assured Environments explained that, under the law, they are authorized to treat ONLY those areas (and the surrounding perimeter) that showed positive signs of bed bug presence.  So, those areas that were NOT treated did not have any indication of bed bugs when they were inspected.   

We are developing a plan for inspecting and, if necessary, treating the remaining buildings on our campus.  Because these buildings (Westport, BMW Building, 54th Street Annex) are much smaller than North Hall and Haaren Hall, the inspection (and treatment, if needed) can be done more quickly.  We will start the inspection of Westport this evening, and will treat any positive conditions tonight, so that classes can be held on Tuesday.  We will move the inspection teams to either the Annex or the BMW Building next, with any treatment scheduled immediately following the inspection.   Employees are reminded that they should remove any valuables from their offices in these buildings, discard any food, and open any locked drawers or cabinets. 

I would also like to report some more specific results of our inspections.  Although many spaces in North Hall and Haaren Hall tested positive for evidence of bed bugs, the inspectors only discovered a small number of actual bed bugs – fewer than ten – and all of them were dead.  The outside experts who spoke at the Forum last week praised the College for taking decisive and early action, which they said is the best way to eradicate the problem.  Our community should feel proud that the College responded swiftly and effectively. 

As we enter this last phase of our response to the evidence of bed bugs on our campus, it is critically important that each member of our community take steps to determine whether they have bed bugs at home.   The treatments we have applied have a 100% effectiveness track record, but we are still vulnerable to the transportation of bed bugs from the outside.  Check the websites on our homepage to get more information.  If you think you have been exposed to bed bugs, please see our College Nurse, Malaine Clarke, in Room 1292 North Hall.   

We are coming through a very challenging chapter in the College’s history.  We have experienced a disruption of our classes and normal work routines.  But the College has risen to this challenge in heroic ways.  Our overarching goal has been to provide for the health and safety of our community, and I am proud to see that we are meeting this goal.

I hope to see you tomorrow, Tuesday, September 29, at the Community Forum, from 2:00 to 3:30 in the small gymnasium on the fourth floor of Haaren Hall.