Report: Man repeatedly disposing of body lice in UC Berkeley buildings

Students study in the North Reading Room on Tuesday Jan. 28, 2014, which is located inside Doe Library on the UC Berkeley campus, in Berkeley, Calif. Students study in the North Reading Room on Tuesday Jan. 28, 2014, which is located inside Doe Library on the UC Berkeley campus, in Berkeley, Calif. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Report: Man repeatedly disposing of body lice in UC Berkeley buildings 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

UC Berkeley students and staff were recently alerted that a man has been repeatedly depositing body lice in buildings across campus, according to a the Daily Californian article posted on Tuesday.

News of the incident broke when administrators at the Recreational Sports Facility (RSF) sent an email to employees detailing the individual's behavior. According to this email, the unidentified man will take a handful of paper towels and a trash bin into a restroom stall. In the stall, "he will wipe off countless body lice; depositing the towels and live insects in the bin," reports the Daily Cal.

The email also said that the individual would sit in an unspecified lounge for hours after wiping off the lice.

According to RSF Communications Manager Andy Davis, the incidents did not occur inside the RSF.

"Two emails were sent out regarding the incident, and the information cascaded down to additional staff," said Davis, explaining the source of the confusion. "It appears that some of the particulars of the original message were left out and then relayed to the rest of the staff."

UC Berkeley spokesperson Janet Gilmore could not verify the Daily Cal's claims, which included reports of the same individual in the Doe Memorial Library and the ASUC Student Union.

In a statement to SFGATE, she said that "the University Library issued a one year ban to an individual for violations of the Library Code of Conduct."

KPIX 5 reports that the issue has been addressed by campus staff and no criminal investigation is warranted.

Gilmore did vaguely state that officials habitually take necessary actions in situations such as this. "While we cannot comment on the circumstances of any particular case, given privacy concerns, I can tell you that if we receive complaints that someone is creating an unsafe or unhealthy environment those reports are taken seriously and addressed appropriately," she said.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that the unidentified individual deposited lice in the RSF, when in fact the incidents did not occur within that facility.

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