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Walking around campus alone at 3 a.m. at a school that is located in the fifth most dangerous city in the United States is in and of itself a little scary. I find, however, that I am less worried about being the victim of a crime than I am about the ominous noises coming from the trashcans and bushes I pass on the way to my room. It’s true that the university as an institution doesn’t do as much as it could to protect its students – the measures that are taken seem to be more for show than actual results. Lack of funding for the Department of Public Safety and relying on students guards who are more concerned with the plot twist of the movie they are watching on their laptop than who is entering the dorms are both indicative of the overall attitude of the university toward student safety. But this negligence is shown all the more by the rat infestation that plagues Georgetown’s campus. It is not particularly reassuring that I regularly pass more rats than DPS officers on my way home, and I doubt that the rats will keep out someone who might present a danger to my well-being. Moreover, the vermin are a danger. Do I really need to remind the administration of the bubonic plague? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists eight different diseases that may be caused by contact with rats, many of which, like the plague and rat-bite-fever, can be fatal if left untreated. Rats can also carry rabies, which makes walking around campus in flip-flops an invitation for something far worse than frostbite. Ridding the campus of rats is a sanitary concern as well as a concern of physical safety. The fact that there is enough trash strewn about to support such a large number of pests is in and of itself disgusting, but the small, gray vermin with beady, red eyes running around are a more pressing concern. Taking measures against the rats by eliminating trash and other sources of food over winter break, for example, would undoubtedly have helped the situation and been a welcome step toward a rat-free campus. The rats, however, seem convinced that no such measures will be taken. They have grown to be so confident of not being disturbed by the human inhabitants of this campus that they won’t move out of the way when a person approaches. oreover, the rats are embarrassing. I can only imagine the outcry if one of the rats were to run out when an unsuspecting tour group passes. Such an event might raise a few doubts in the minds of the prospective applicants and their families about the dedication of the university toward maintaining a sanitary living environment for its students. The university, with its beautiful buildings, manicured lawns and impressive reputation should not be content to allow a problem as disgusting as the rat infestation to mar what is otherwise a beautiful campus. Unless the next big theater performance is an exploration of the Macabre, the rats are thoroughly uncalled for. A simple solution could be the addition of feline DPS officers. It would certainly be preferable to seeing fellow students “hunting” the rats, which I have seen occur on especially late nights on this campus. Though it is certainly true that rats are intelligent creatures and can make clean, lovable pets, I prefer seeing “Whiskers” in a pet store cage, not a multitude of rats scavenging unabashedly. Avoiding rats on campus is not something I should have to do. Dina Guenther is a freshman in the College and an opinion editor at THE HOYA.