A number of students have temporarily moved out of the Trinity College dorms after discovering rooms were infested with bed bugs, a Toronto Star report has revealed.
Young Um, a spokesperson for Trinity College, told the Star that the Office of the Dean of Students received reports of possible bedbugs in three separate residence rooms in February. After Trinity College was made aware of the issue, pest control was brought in on three separate occasions: February 8, February 22, and March 21. According to Amy Kim, a first-year business student living in residence, however, the problem still remains.
Kim and her floormates were not provided temporary housing while pest control treated the area. According to Trinity College’s residence agreement, in the event of a pest outbreak, residents will not be located to a new room, in order to reduce the likelihood of spreading pests to unaffected areas.
Trinity College said that one student has formally moved out of residence, but according to Kim, others are staying with friends nearby. For her part, Kim will commute from her parent’s home in Oakville for the remainder of the year.
In addition, the residence agreement states that residents will not have fees refunded or reduced due to inconveniences. Kim pays $1,144 a month to live at Trinity.
“I’ve never felt so disregarded,” Kim told the Star. “We’re paying to live here, and we’re paying a lot of money.”
Ryerson University’s The Eyeopener recently reported that bed bugs were found in one of the university’s residences as well.
