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When Harvard freshmen moved back into their Harvard Yard dorms last month after winter break, several students returned to evidence of unwelcome visitors: mouse droppings and chewed-through belongings.

More than one dozen residents of freshman dorms — known among students for commonly facing pest control issues — said they had seen or heard mice in their dorm rooms since September, but several said the presence was more upon returning from winter break.

When Straus Hall resident Janelle H. Wang ’28 entered her dorm in January, she found a “traumatic and disgusting” scene.

“All of our beds — even the girl who had a top bunk —mouse droppings in them,” she said. “It was pervasive. They ate one of my shirts, so then I had to throw it away.”

“We’re cleaning things out — we find a dead mouse immediately,” Wang added. “Roommate throws it away because I start crying, and then we get an exterminator to come over. They find three more dead mice.”

Daniela T. Virella ’28 said that upon returning to her Canaday dorm, her roommate’s belongings were “covered in mouse droppings.”

“She had to go buy more stuff because they had chewed through a lot of her stuff,” Virella said.

Students who encounter rodents are encouraged to contact Yard Operations, which then lays traps in affected dorms. Some students, however, said they still felt uneasy even after a visit from Yard Ops.

“The guy from Yard Ops — he came, but he just put a trap down. I was like, ‘So are you gonna check if it’s still here?’ He’s like, ‘No, that’s not really my job,’” Brooke R. Augustine ’28 said, adding that pest control services later entered her room and “filled a hole” “unbeknownst” to her.

Last summer, Yard Ops doubled down on pest prevention measures, replacing certain trash cans and sealing heating systems.

Faculty of Arts and Sciences spokesperson James M. Chisholm wrote in a Thursday email that the Office of Physical Resources and Planning’s Residential Facilities team has “taken numerous steps” to address the presence of rodents.

According to Chisholm, OPRP has added “excluder” strips on the bottom of doors to limit rodent access, undertaken a “pipe penetration sealing program,” conducted inspections over winter break, and created a poster to distribute across dorms detailing best practices for pest control.

“While these individual steps are important parts of the overall pest prevention effort, it is incumbent upon students to adhere to the commonsense guidance provided by OPRP- secure food in containers, close doors and windows, take out trash and keep living spaces tidy,” Chisholm wrote.

When Wang first discovered mouse droppings in her dorm, she emailed her resident dean, Katie M. Derzon, describing the situation as “devastating.”

“We did not leave much food in the dorm but they ate my roommate’s protein powder, crackers, as well as our plants,” Wang wrote to Derzon, adding that she had previously complained about mice to Yard Ops. Derzon responded within half an hour by advising Wang to contact Yard Ops and get rid of remaining food not in a hard container.

“I don’t believe there should be any health issues related to mice, though I know it can be super distressing,” Derzon wrote.

Chisholm wrote in a statement to The Crimson that Derzon’s email was “professional, empathetic and responsive” and that Wang’s situation was a “perfect example of the potential consequences of students not adhering to the guidance provided by campus officials.”

But, some students who reported rodent sightings said they had avoided leaving anything that could attract mice.

“This is something that happened in all of Straus, apparently. We didn’t leave any food out. I don’t know who did, but the mice just shit everywhere,” Carlos Gonzalez ’28 said.

Several students said they began to purchase pest control materials themselves.

Rhea P. Maniar ’28 said she has spent “at least 100 dollars” on rodent-prevention items like “rosemary mint packs” and an “ultrasonic” mouse-repellent device.

“We spent a lot of money out of our own pocket to deal with this issue that should not be an issue to begin with,” Wang said.

Lincoln C. Duckson ’28, who said he saw a rat in a Matthews Hall bathroom last semester, said he is frustrated by the standard of hygiene across Harvard housing.

“In a sanitary and clean place like the bathroom, students should be able to assume that those places are a sanctuary for them,” Duckson said. “It’s unacceptable for there to be rats and that level of uncleanliness in student bathrooms.”

—Staff writer Dionise Guerra-Carrillo can be reached at dionise.guerracarrillo@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Tammy S. Lee can be reached at tammy.lee@thecrimson.com.