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Classrooms and dormitories at Catawba College in Salisbury are being inspected for bedbugs.
More than 100 students were temporarily evacuated from their dorms early Wednesday because of an infestation. Those students were allowed to return to their rooms Wednesday night, after exterminators treated the five affected buildings.
"It takes a little bit of time away from papers and stuff that we need to be doing," said junior Amanda Williams. "We're now worried about washing everything and keeping everything clean instead of, you know, our test that's tomorrow."
VIDEO: Local College Classrooms, Dorms Inspected For Bedbugs
Freshman Katie Walter said she had not been back in her room since she first saw bedbugs on Monday morning. She added that she's done 13 loads of laundry, trying to remove the bugs from her clothes and belongings.
"I've been living out of trash bags," she said. "All my clothes are in trash bags. I don't know where anything's at. It's been a stressful week."
The students living in the affected dorms were given $10 to dry all of their fabric belongings on high heat, which kills the bugs. However, Tonia Black-Gold, a Catawba College spokeswoman, said it would be impossible to check students' belongings to ensure that they followed the cleaning instructions.
"They're on the honor system," she said. "They're young adults. They have a responsibility, just like the institution does, and it's in both of our interests -- theirs and the college's -- that they adhere to the policy."
School leaders decided to have all campus buildings inspected Thursday in an effort to be proactive.
An exterminator who treated some of the infested rooms said inspecting other buildings is a good idea, because the bedbugs can easily spread from one area to another.
Black-Gold said exterminators will continue to make periodic inspections over the next few weeks, as the outbreak could resurface.