Professor Ivan Raykoff had just gotten out of teaching his Tuesday afternoon class and was heading down to his office in the Lang basement, when a colleague of his, Cecilia Rubino, who was meeting with students in the cafe, told him he might not want to go down there because there was a roach infestation.
According to Raykoff, some roaches were crawling on the floors and walls while others lay dead in piles at the bottom of the stairs as a result of pesticides sprayed by maintenance workers.
Professor Raykoff explained that being from the country, he had seen worse roach infestations and wasn’t too shocked by the scene. His main concern was for the students in the basement, some of whom were meeting with professors in their offices and others who were working in the computer lab.
Raykoff and other professors say that they were not informed of the pesticide spraying.
After alerting other professors and Dean Stephanie Browner by sending photos of the cockroaches via an email chain, Raykoff said that Dean Browner organized a meeting between professors and Thomas Whalen, Director of Facilities.
“The Dean was rightfully alarmed and very proactive,” Raykoff said.
According to Raykoff, Thomas Whalen explained that the chemicals used were non-toxic and that the people applying them did not wear masks. Whalen also said that the application of these products was done regularly, as cockroaches are a natural side-effect of most New York basement.
“My office is about three or four feet from where they were being administered,” Professor Cecilia Rubino said during a student walk-out organized in protest of the pesticides. “ Again, this is an old New York City building, yes there are going to have to be exterminations..but there are hazard compliances and rules that need to be followed, and the health and safety of students and faculty first.”
Neither Whalen and Dean Browner did not reply to a request for comment at the time of publication. Requests for the names and nature of these products were also not returned in time.
Yet, some professors reported getting watery eyes as a result of the chemicals and being otherwise affected.
“We need to be asking severe questions about the pesticides and how long have they been using them,” professor Julie Napolin, who also has her office in the basement said during the walk out. “If I’m around pesticides eight to ten hours a day, what does that mean for my health? What does it mean for your health?”
The Lang basement is a space shared by professors and students, but some professors say they have had to conduct meetings with students in the Lang cafe as a result of the poor air quality.
“I certainly have second thoughts about asking students to meet with me down there,” Raykoff said.
This most recent event is one in a series affecting professors who have their offices in the basement. Professors say they routinely suffer from poor air quality as a result of cigarette smoke seeping in through vents from the courtyard.
In fact, an email was sent out to students on April 7, two days after the infestation, reminding them that it is illegal to smoke in the courtyard.
“I have office hours on Monday and I’m not completely comfortable working in the space,” Raykoff said.
“For me, the main priority is the student experience in this,” Raykoff said. “I’m not at all comfortable with students who are paying quite a lot to attend the university having experiences like this, which are demoralizing.”
Tamar is a poet, writer, New York-lover and dweller. She studies jounalism+design at The New School.
