Our gripe is with real vermin. We've seen the not-so-little beasts all over campus.
Of course, a certain number of rodents is inevitable. And the burgeoning rat population may not be the university's fault. The local city and county governments have cut back on pest control programs recently, creating rat problems elsewhere.
But when rats become as commonplace as squirrels, it's time for the university to do something. The case against rats is pretty solid: Not only are they creepy, but they also carry diseases that can be spread to the people.
For a university that expends so much energy keeping the campus asthetically pleasing to the eye, surely something can be done to get rid of these unwanted creatures.
The suggestions that we've heard range from buying a few hundred large mouse traps to hiring exterminators to poison the rats. We'll leave those decisions to the experts, we just ask for God- speed.
Of course, these days, if it's not the rats, then it's the hot water pipes. Students in Davis House and Efird Residence Hall have been the unlucky victims of bursting pipes. Many had personal items like clothes destroyed by water. The pipe problems may also pose a risk to student education. In Efird, ethernet connections were also damaged by water.
But since computers are deemed to be so vital to education, it's a shame the university has not done more to protect the connections from water. Of course, the best time to fix the problems with the pipes would have been during the recent renovations of dorms like Davis.
Whatever the case, students should have a reasonable expectation that their personal items will not be subjected to damage. If the university cares to uphold their end of the bargain, they should check the hot water system now in order to prevent problems before they occur.