Reed/Johnson Under Attack: Mice War Intensifies

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The ground floor of Reed and Johnson Hall on North Dakota State University campus has been experiencing its fair share of mice. Students originally sent in a report via the Valley News Live Whistleblower Hotline and later talked to reporter Anna Ballweber, who came on-site to speak to those experiencing the problems. The original photo that Valley News Live received depicted a pile of dead mice stacked upon one another on a ledge with the caption, “Pile pick of Johnson mice — nine in one day.” Additionally, others have even said that they caught upwards of 15-20 mice in the span of a single week. Despite efforts by campus maintenance to fix the problem, reports reveal that the mice still continue with dogged force.

To combat these intruders, students say they are buying and setting out their own traps to capture the mice. Insider reports communicate that the traps are becoming less and less effective as mice learn to avoid the tempting treats luring them to danger. Well, put more truthfully, they have learned how to set off the traps with different odds and ends found around the room. Reed/Johnson members have spoken with us about missing items that cannot be located for days on end, only to be found later ensnared in the bail of the mousetrap. Furthermore, many report that the peanut butter, often used for attracting the mice, is completely gone from the trap trigger, meaning the mice are maneuvering the traps in their favor and reaping the reward.

Marney Evans, a business major, talks about his experience, “I was looking for my favorite pair of socks. My mullet socks since I’m a true American. And after digging through my old laundry and tossing out clothing, I came to look under my bed. I’m fearful at this point, knowing what could be under there so I whack around underneath with a t-shirt. No skittering. So, I take a peek, and guess what I see… my mullet sock stuck in the mouse trap! And get this. I pull it out and the hair pieces that are usually attached to the sock are frayed. The darn thing stole my beloved sock and took pieces of it for its nest!”

Evans continues slightly more dejected, “I buried the destroyed sock by a tree outside my dorm window. I was devastated, but at least it will be remembered. I encourage people to visit the grave.”

This experience is not unique to Evans and was also experienced by many other residents. In fact, many of the mice were reported to have gone even further, setting off the traps, becoming greedy with hunger and finding ways to raid food compartments within the rooms.

“I had just returned to my dorm from a cruel calculus exam and was really craving a restorative snack,” engineering major Samuel Jones explains. “I opened the top drawer of my desk and reached a hand in to grab from my stash, but it didn’t feel right — the wrappers were all torn. Crumbs everywhere.”

We asked Jones if he tried to find the culprit.

“Yeah. I peeked down at the back of the drawer, and it was looking right back at me. Straight munching on my stash of nutter butters. I didn’t know what to do, so I just closed the drawer and let it be. To be honest, I just tried to nap it off, hoping it’d be gone when I woke up.”

It seems the residents of Reed/Johnson will need to become smarter in their fight against these increasingly capable rodents. Residents are not quite sure what to do. It’s looking more and more like these pests may have to become pets. However, we did receive information about a potential new threat against the mice that has been offered up to assist the residents of Reed/Johnson in their battle.

An anonymous student on Yik Yak posted an offer to rent out their dorm cat (for a set monetary price) to find, attack, and rid Reed/Johnson of the persistent mice. Due to the anonymous nature of the Twitter-like, popular college app, it might be quite unlikely for anyone to accept such an offer and pay the accompanying fee. Anyone with common sense in online protection, at least.

Still, questions are raised with the uncertainty of how it may continue to unfold, and, ultimately end:

Will a financially struggling college student take the risk and offer up the monetary price to rent out a dorm cat and save all of Reed/Johnson from falling to rodent forces? Will they continue on as is and find other ways to combat the nuisances through new, strategic planning? Or will NDSU finally step in and eliminate the pest-y threat greatly disturbing the experiences of their students?

As for now, it seems time will be the only teller. We look forward to reporting more about future updates regarding the Reed and Johnson mice war. In the meantime, we wish the best of luck to all the residents. Remember: If they aren’t paying, they aren’t staying!