Spring Break
The Daily OrangeAllergy-ridden students combat hazards of university living
By Jennie Kushlish
Posted: 9/6/05, 10:10 PM EST Section: Pulp
When Jill Reuter toured the Sumner Avenue home she leased for this school year, she was greeted by its four-legged tenant, beloved by all but the landlord.
"We knocked on the door and thought, 'That's cute,'" said Reuter, a senior public relations major. "I didn't think the cat would affect me a year later."
Arriving on campus in August, Reuter said she overlooked the dirt and broken fixtures characteristic of off-campus houses. But she and her roommates decided the funny pattern on their blue, floral couch deserved a second look.
The hand-me-down sofa was cloaked in a layer of cat hair.
"When I saw the hair I thought, 'I'm gonna die,'" said Reuter, gesturing to the couch she had tossed to the curb in the name of allergies. "My eyes would've gone crazy. I would've been blinded."
Reuter said her allergy to cat hair had never before affected her living situation. In fact, she keeps an outdoor cat at her family home - and throws him treats and kisses from a distance. But for students living on-campus and with certain allergies, comfort can't be guaranteed with the removal of furniture.
The most common allergy plaguing students with on-campus housing is smoke, which can usually be remedied by pairing the allergic student with a non-smoker, said Steve Saur, managing director for a section of student housing at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Saur has also installed hypoallergenic furnace filters to accommodate students allergic to dust.
"Any allergy that would require extra cleaning is the student's personal responsibility - unless it affects the entire community," Saur said.
At the University of Colorado at Boulder, students with allergies are given priority in the school's only air-conditioned dorm, said Amy Stewart, a student assistant for Housing and Dining Services. But she says allergy-related requests are rare.
Special requests by Syracuse University students are often filtered to FixIt, which sends maintenance workers to change floors and vents, according to the Office of Housing and Meal Plans. While SU students are required to live on campus for two years, Reuter reported hearing rumors that students with unmanageable allergies can be exempt.
"We knocked on the door and thought, 'That's cute,'" said Reuter, a senior public relations major. "I didn't think the cat would affect me a year later."
Arriving on campus in August, Reuter said she overlooked the dirt and broken fixtures characteristic of off-campus houses. But she and her roommates decided the funny pattern on their blue, floral couch deserved a second look.
The hand-me-down sofa was cloaked in a layer of cat hair.
"When I saw the hair I thought, 'I'm gonna die,'" said Reuter, gesturing to the couch she had tossed to the curb in the name of allergies. "My eyes would've gone crazy. I would've been blinded."
Reuter said her allergy to cat hair had never before affected her living situation. In fact, she keeps an outdoor cat at her family home - and throws him treats and kisses from a distance. But for students living on-campus and with certain allergies, comfort can't be guaranteed with the removal of furniture.
The most common allergy plaguing students with on-campus housing is smoke, which can usually be remedied by pairing the allergic student with a non-smoker, said Steve Saur, managing director for a section of student housing at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Saur has also installed hypoallergenic furnace filters to accommodate students allergic to dust.
"Any allergy that would require extra cleaning is the student's personal responsibility - unless it affects the entire community," Saur said.
At the University of Colorado at Boulder, students with allergies are given priority in the school's only air-conditioned dorm, said Amy Stewart, a student assistant for Housing and Dining Services. But she says allergy-related requests are rare.
Special requests by Syracuse University students are often filtered to FixIt, which sends maintenance workers to change floors and vents, according to the Office of Housing and Meal Plans. While SU students are required to live on campus for two years, Reuter reported hearing rumors that students with unmanageable allergies can be exempt.
