Bedbugs found in USF business classrooms

USF officials found remnants of bedbugs in six different classrooms in the USF Business Administration building on Wednesday. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

An investigation spurred by a student inquiry led to the discovery of bedbugs in seven different classrooms in the Business Administration building (BSN) on Wednesday.

According to College of Business Dean Moez Limayem, USF’s Environmental Health & Safety and Physical Plant divisions responded to a student inquiry on Wednesday about classroom BSN 118.

Upon further investigation, bugs were also found in BSN 111, 120, 123, 124, 201, 230 and some open seating areas. All of which are in the newer portion of the building facing USF Maple Drive. The rest of the building will remain in use while the classes scheduled for those areas have been moved elsewhere in the building.

Limayem announced in an email released to the Muma faculty and staff that “in an abundance of caution” the classes scheduled for those rooms would be moved for the rest of Summer A.

Exterminators intend to focus on the classrooms first before examining the office spaces and common areas.

Adam Freeman, USF Media and Public Affairs Manager, said this move was able to occur due to the summer semester. With fewer classes taking place, there are open classrooms that the courses could be moved to. When bedbugs were discovered in 2013, there was no space for the classes to be moved.

“Be assured that we will follow the appropriate protocols recommended by the experts ­­ from USF and the professional exterminators ­­ to treat the issue,” Limayem said in the email, “This includes conducting a re­inspection 48 hours after initial treatment of any impacted areas and additional treatments, if required.”

Several of the infected classrooms were also infected in the fall of 2013 when a series of inspections over a month found bedbugs in the seats of chairs in five classrooms. As a result, after same day treatment of each infestation, the building was shut down over a weekend to do a more thorough treatment. 

Initial treatment of the impacted areas and some precautionary treatment was performed in other areas of the newer building today. The building will be re-inspected next week as well as areas of the older building.