One of the last things many people expect to encounter while sitting in their dorm room studying, watching television or brushing their teeth are cockroaches.

For some Iowa State dorm residents, especially those who live in older buildings, finding a cockroach is an occurrence they take in stride.

“I saw a cockroach crawl out of the drain of the sink in the bathroom when I was brushing my teeth,” said Dan Nguyen, freshman in computer engineering and resident of Roberts Hall. “I figured it was that way everywhere; everyone was having problems with cockroaches. Only when I mentioned it to other people did I learn not everyone was having the same problem.”

One student who found a roach in her dorm room in late September took action against the critter.

“I saw a cockroach and told my floor president,” said Aleshia Meyer, freshman in general undergraduate studies and Elm Hall resident. “She told the hall desk, who gave us the number for the service center. The exterminators come to Iowa State on Wednesdays and sprayed around the pipes in our room, on the window and in the closet.”

Blake Pasker, junior in ceramic engineering and resident of Birch Hall, said there isn’t much of an issue with cockroaches this year, but he said he’s had problems with them in the past.

“When I was a freshman and sophomore, I would see cockroaches running around all the time,” Pasker said. “Now I see mostly just ants. There are lots of them in the bathroom around the counter. I try to get them out of my way by pushing them down the sink and flushing them down the drain with water.”

Harry Moore, employee of the Service Center at ISU, said cockroaches aren’t as big of a problem as they have been in previous years.

“I haven’t heard about a cockroach problem yet this year,” Moore said. “Right now, it’s on the quiet side of things. We try to put fires out with the pest control so things don’t get out of hand.”

Bill Schendel, Schendel Pest Control Inc. of Marshalltown, said if a resident is having problems with cockroaches, it should be brought to the attention of the maintenance staff immediately so they can pinpoint “problem areas.”

Schendel said the No. 1 way to keep bugs at bay is to keep one’s home sanitary.

“Make sure the cockroaches don’t have anything to feed on; don’t keep dirty dishes out or open food to attract them,” he said. “Also, don’t keep garbage lying around … possible hiding areas for cockroaches.”

Some students have their own suggestion on how to take care of cockroaches.

“I just walk as far away from them as I can, trying to avoid them,” said Elizabeth Lichtenberg, freshman in meteorology and resident of Elm Hall.