REPORTS OF A RAT INFESTATION HAVE BEEN GROSSLY UNDERSTATED….
In the early morning of March 8, images of two rats were captured by a camera trap set on the floor of Cindy’s office. This physical evidence follows on weeks of speculation (e.g., What really happened to Carolyn Moir’s chocolate coins?) and additional material evidence (e.g., a dead rat in a snap trap behind Cindy’s credenza). Facilities has been notified and is responding to our alarm. In the meantime, we must do all that we can to limit foraging opportunities for rats on the 3rd floor Kerr. To this end, please:
• Store all food at your desk in sealed containers.
• Secure all edibles in and around your desk space before leaving for evenings and weekends.
• Dispose of food waste and food containers in lidded waste bins. Bins can be found in all three RO kitchenettes.
• Contact Mimi Poitras if you would like a smaller lidded bin for your office.
• Expect to see Facilities staff collecting trash from your office more often.

PLEASE LET US KNOW if you see any more signs of a rat lurking among us. Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we work to resolve this issue.

ART>RAT
The only civilized response to a rat infestation of our workspace is a poetry contest. Please consider submitting a poem to the RO’s “ART is greater than RAT” limerick contest. Frist prize is a $50 gift certificate from Grassroots Books (Corvallis). Second prize is one pound of OSU Classic smoked cheddar cheese. Your submission must comply with the following:
• Poem must be in the form of a limerick
• Must contain some reference to a rat, rats, or rodents
• RO staff, staff friends, staff family and members of the Graduate School are eligible.
• One entry per person.
• Be received by COB, Friday, March 17.
Submit your entry to Jane Cigarran at jane.cigarran@oregonstate.edu. Entries will be given a unique identifier and submitted anonymously to a blue ribbon panel of rat catchers: Mimi Poitras, Chad Cropley, and Kay White. In the event of a tie, winner will be determined by a rhyme-off. Decisions of the panel will be final.
Winners will be announced at the next Research Office all-staff meeting March 22.
The wining limerick will be posted prominently within the reception area of the RO, also with a framed image of the offending rat.
Thank you to Mimi Poitras for her dauntless quest to find and eradicate the offending rodents and to Chad for lending his technical expertise to the project.