<p>The cost of living at MIT is high because the cost of living in Cambridge and Boston is high. There are roaches and mice at MIT because there are roaches and mice in Cambridge and Boston.</p>
<p>As for this–
Cleaned does not mean fumigated.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to lower your standards. This isn’t a new issue and this isn’t an MIT-specific issue and this isn’t a Cambridge-specific issue and this isn’t an issue that MIT is ignoring. Some of the dorms are being fumigated this summer, and dorms have been fumigated in the past, and the dorms will continue to be fumigated. There are mice and roaches EVERYwhere here. There’s not terribly much that can be done. You can put out mouse-traps if you’d like. You can get a pet cat if you’d like. You can live in a high-rise dorm room if you’d like. You can avoid leaving food out in open containers if you’d like. You can do your dishes in a timely manner if you’d like. You can stop wearing your glass so you don’t have to see things you don’t like if you’d like.</p>