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Rats were discovered in Commons Dining Hall in late June, but closure did not take place until three months later.
The information caused Sarah Ross, undecided sophomore, to ask the question, “Why did they wait so long?”
Ross said she normally does not eat at Commons during the school year, but her soccer team ate at the dining hall three times a day during the summer.
“We didn’t notice any rats, but I’m creeped out now,” Ross said.
John Root, director of auxilary services, said university officials initially did not realize how bad the situation was.
“At first we didn’t know the extent of the problem, so naturally our first instinct was to do what we could do while remaining open,” Root said.
Root said Commons was closed for a short period during the summer, and service was shifted to Jones Dining Hall.
“We reopened in August, then it was good for a couple of weeks,” Root said. “We basically gave it every possible chance we could without closing. We tried more aggressive ways of trying to use the extermination processes. Every time we would get to a point where we thought we had it under control, they would come back. It became obvious (closing the dining hall) was the only way to take care of it once and for all.”
A 10-week process began this week to rid the building of rats.
“(Commons) is expected to be a full-service dining hall by the beginning of next semester, considering no unforeseen issues arise,” Root said.
Root said the university has contracted Town Lake Construction of Austin to seal the building of entry points for rodents.
“The company is going to do whatever necessary to seal up all the penetrations to the building including cracks and the tiniest of holes,” Root said. “That’s the first part. The second part is getting rid of what’s already there.”
Root maintains the rats did not get into the food at Commons, but found their food source in the trash. He said the rats would chew through soda lines that originate in the basement. The lines would be immediately replaced because they stopped working once damaged, he said.
There were talks of closing the dining hall for good when Commons was shut down in August. The university considered using the space for other campus endeavors but has now decided to maintain it as a dining hall.
“We really need that dining hall back,” Root said. “It’s such a central location for students for primarily lunch. When we looked around, there wasn’t a good alternative compared to where it sits right now.”
Since the closing, Root said customer service has not been affected.
“The students basically distributed themselves between The Den, Jones and the Student Center food court,” he said.
Rachel Purswell, interdiciplinary sophomore, said she will not be in a hurry to eat at Commons after the rats issue is resolved.
“I wouldn’t want to go because of knowing they had rats and didn’t tell anyone,” Purswell said. “I probably would after a while, but I think I’d wait to hear what other people say.”
Root said he hopes students will not be skeptical to give Commons another chance but concedes “that’s an individual decision for each student to make.”
“We would not re-open it if we were not sure about the safety and sanitation of the kitchen area,” Root said.
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