OU student grapples with ongoing bed bug issue

Concerns over the spread of bed bugs at the University of Oklahoma have some students and their parents concerned about the impact it is having on their well-being.

SEE ALSO: Understanding Bedbugs: What they are and effective ways to get rid of them

Over the past winter break, one OU student told her mother about the bed bug issue.  

Laura Westemeyer says her daughter, Lucy, sent messages to the David L. Boren dorm resident advisor.  

Westmeyer said she got involved because her daughter felt overwhelmed with the situation. 

Westemeyer said she sent messages to the housing department asking for help, but felt the department lacked protocol when it came to room inspections for the bugs.  

“It kind of continued to escalate, and I became a little more concerned and spoke to Ben and said, have you put in bed bug traps? Have you, you know, been checking the other rooms? And, at that point, OU had been telling us that the bed bugs don't travel between rooms,” said Westemeyer.  

In a statement, the university said they have actively addressed a localized pest-related issue and has responded to isolated reports from individual rooms. 

It states the treatment process takes up to 14 days for maximum effectiveness.  

The statement also read that recent follow-up inspections reveal no active pests.  

Westemeyer said her daughter Lucy received communication saying the school had a planned treatment for spraying on Thursday.