A student brought the issue of mold and mice to the attention of Student Congress at its Jan. 24 meeting. It seems both are matters that many students, especially those living in Village housing, face every day.

Mouse droppings on the floor and mold on walls of houses and residence halls are indications of serious neglect of upkeep and maintenance by UE.

Why has nothing been done about this problem, which has plagued UE housing for years? We, as paying students, deserve livable conditions.

For most students, college is their first experience living without parents—they’re in charge of their own housekeeping matters. The experiences they face are meant to mimic life after college. And if matters of mold and mice were brought to the attention of any future superintendent, it would be his or her responsibility to help.

For the price students pay to live on campus, UE has an obligation to give them decent standards of living. Because money is a predicament for most, living off-campus simply isn’t an option, especially for those without reliable means of transportation. Some scholarships even require recipients to live on campus.

Either way, the condition of housing should reflect the amount of money students pay.

But matters of money and experience are small when compared to the issue of health.

Some students are allergic to mold or mice. UE wouldn’t put peanuts in the room of someone with peanut allergies because it’s dangerous and simply ridiculous. Mold is a type of allergy, so precautions should be taken.

And it’s common knowledge that mice and rats carry all sorts of diseases. If there was to be an outbreak of rodent-borne illnesses, the Health Center wouldn’t be able to provide students with the amount and specific type of care necessary.

Figuring out transportation to the hospital—and how to pay the resulting bills—are things no student should have to worry about when the situation could be easily prevented.

Ridding the dorms and apartments of rodents and mold is something that shouldn’t be an issue. Even though renovations to residence halls are planned for the near future, this does not mean UE can wait until that time to address problems.

But the problems of mold and mice should not have reached such a severe level. How bad must the situation get before problems are fixed? Students should not feel the only way to get results is to show graphic photographs to Student Congress.

We shouldn’t be picking mouse droppings off the floor and scraping mold off the walls before UE has even addressed the issue.