Ongoing construction on the Student Union isn’t only an inconvenience for students. As the job drags on, workers are battling another problem: the building’s increasing rat troubles. Openings in the building provide new entrances for rats into the Union, forcing the staff to increase pest control to neutralize the problem.Shirley Plakidas, Union director, said the presence of rats  is amplified because of construction, but it is not a new issue.”We have to put the problem into perspective,” Plakidas said. “It’s a problem all over campus, but the Union is especially vulnerable because of construction.”Plakidas said this trouble is inevitable because Louisiana is home to many pests.Kim Gardiner, assistant director of Facility Services, said there have been pest issues in the academic buildings he works with.”We do get isolated incidents of reports of rats and mice every now and then, but we usually put out sticky traps, and that solves the problem,” Gardiner said.To combat the increased activity in the Union, housekeeping staff and an exterminator are working together to get rid of the rats..Plakidas said the exterminator visits the Union at least once weekly and responds quickly to arising problems.”Our housekeeping staff [puts out traps] as well,” Plakidas said. “We don’t only rely on the exterminator.”Rat traps are placed in parts of the building where problems are identified, Plakidas said. Traps are kept out of sight to avoid people seeing the “unappetizing” devices.The Union’s southeast corner is heavily monitored. The concentration of construction there makes it a high traffic area for rats.”Sometimes we have as many as 200 contract workers doing construction who don’t dispose their lunch sacks in the way we would hope,” Plakidas said.Plakidas said the rats have never compromised health standards in the Union.”We undergo regular health inspections,” she said. “We’ve never been shut down and have had no violations of health ordinances.”The rats are generally found behind walls and at entrances to the building, and none have been caught in food-related areas, Plakidas said.”I’m not aware of [rats] in food areas, serving areas or customer seating areas,” Plakidas said.David Heidke, LSU Dining director, said the food staff has continued the regular routine, which is enough to keep food safe.”We continued our standard practices, storing everything properly in a cooler, freezer or in a closed container in a cabinet,” Heidke said.Measures other than traps and exterminators are being taken to control the intruders.”We keep our potted plants in the building treated for any kind of pests,” Plakidas said.Heidke mentioned special care being given to high-risk areas, such as loading docks.”We are making sure [loading dock doors] are closed, and not remaining open for later deliveries,” Heidke said.Students can do their parts as well to keep rats away. Plakidas said proper disposal of all food is important when dealing with  pest issues.Heidke said other on-campus dining locations are also safe from rats and other pests.”We are not seeing any activity at Highland Dining Hall or the 459 Commons,” Heidke said. “That’s a real positive.”As for the rats in the Union, Plakidas said they will continue to be controlled but will probably never be eliminated.”It will never be completely solved  — not in this building and not in any other on campus.”–Contact Ryan Buxton at [email protected]