SCRANTON— The University of Scranton student placed another cup of vinegar in his room then lowered the heat on a boiling pot of cranberries in frustration.

Anthony Di Rienzo, junior, of Manalapan, New Jersey, has had a skunk living under his off-campus house for the past three months. He has been trying to eliminate the odor.

“Going through bottles of Febreze attempting to mask it,” Di Rienzo said. “The smell has gotten really strong.”

Di Rienzo is among the University students who have dealt with skunks around their house or in the Hill Section. Students mentioned Clay Avenue, Taylor Avenue, North Webster Avenue and Mulberry Street as areas where they or their friends have encountered skunks.

Housemate John Luke Bongiorno, of Branchburg, New Jersey explained how the skunk has interfered with his and his neighbors’ lives.

“I can’t leave my house without looking in every direction to make sure the skunk isn’t present,” he said.

The students living in the connecting house next to Di Rienzo and Bongiorno decided to stay at a hotel when the smell became overwhelming, Bongiorno said.

The landlord has responded by first setting a trap in the basement then working to barricade the porch area, Di Rienzo said. The students are waiting to see if the landlord’s methods will be effective.

Tara Guilfoyle, senior, of Pearl River, New York said a family of skunks was found living under the deck outside her house.

Guilfoyle was even sprayed by a skunk while trying to walk into her house after an intersession class last year, she said.

“It was the worst experience of my life,” Guilfoyle said. “I literally had a face-off with the thing and tried to avoid it but I got scared and it just happened.”

Kelly Nee, senior, of Hopatcong, New Jersey, recently became aware of the skunks. Nee does not have a current skunk problem but spotted one near her house. She first thought it was a really bushy cat, Nee said. The sighting is something she wants to tell her landlord.

Despite the skunks, the four students said they would continue living off-campus. Bongiorno said that having his own house provides a sense of independence he finds invaluable. Guilfoyle said how off-campus living has positively added to her college experience.

“I love my house and we have made so many great memories here. I’m so sad to leave it,” Guilfoyle said.

So, students will continue boiling cranberries and dodging skunks if it means they get their own house to call home during the semester months. Their wish is just for off-campus independence to smell a little sweeter.

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