When junior Robin Lund entered her Marchetti East apartment Tuesday, Oct. 16, she was not alone. Sitting on her couch and peering up at her was a rodent that has caused the Department of Facility Services plenty of grief in the past weeks: a squirrel.

“[Lund’s] initial reaction was to freak out,” roommate Marie Sarna said. “She slammed the door and went outside until I came back. We called [the Department of Public Safety], and they gave us some numbers to try, such as Animal Control.”

Sarna said it is a mystery as to how the squirrel entered the room, considering that the girls live on the 12th floor and the balcony door was closed. She said she suspects the rodent came in through a hole in her kitchen wall or through a panel above her shower.

“We have searched for access points that we need to fix and have been monitoring those situations,” said Area Coordinator of Building Operations for Residence Life Paul Seidl. “It’s challenging, though, because the only thing you can really do to keep them out is to wrap the building in [a] steel fence or something.”

In addition to sealing up entry points, the department is enacting a forcible removal of the squirrels near the Marchetti Towers and Grand Forest premises by setting traps. The department will work with an off-campus vendor in order to relocate the squirrels to a more suitable habitat, according to an e-mail sent to Marchetti and Grand Forest residents by Seidl on Nov. 29.

Seidl said there was both positive and negative feedback after the e-mail. Some students were concerned with the lives of the squirrels and wanted to make sure that the squirrels were not harmed in the relocation process.

“The reality is that there are other inhumane things we could do to the squirrels, like poison them, but we are trying to relocate them in the best way possible,” Seidl said. “I think we’ve balanced being humane by not killing the squirrels and removing them from where they are causing issues with students.”

Some students, though, have acted on their disapproval of the issue by spray-painting the cages-“Save the Squirrels,” in one instance. Seidl said he is unsure whether these actions are political statements or merely pranks by students.

According to the e-mail, squirrels have been causing some internal damage in the buildings. This has, in turn, caused inconveniences for the staff and students.

“We’re really trying to educate the students since the squirrels can be attracted by trash bags in the hallways,” Seidl said. “They can start chewing through parts of the building and gaining access, so we’re trying to protect students from harm and want to make sure that the squirrels can’t do that.”