Reptile HRS resident slithers on the loose

For residents in High Rise South, a hiss could mean more than a broken air conditioner. It could mean they've found a missing 30-inch Florida King snake. "Sam the Snake," brought illegally into the dorm by College junior Rudy Delgado as a pet, escaped from its cage in Delgado's 14th floor apartment last weekend. Since then, the entire residence has been in an uproar trying to catch the absentee reptile. A letter distributed this week to all dorm residents by Residential Living states that the snake probably escaped from Delgado's room into the building's heating/air-conditioning system and "might travel to other parts of the building." And while the letter assures students that King snakes are not poisonous -- although "they will bite if cornered or made to feel threatened"-- some residents said they are concerned about their safety. "I don't want that thing near me," said Wharton sophomore Martina Geissler, who lives on Delgado's floor. "We're not living on a farm here." Her roommate, Nursing sophomore Michelle Mooney, said she is so terrified of "Sam the Snake" that she surrounds her bed each night with a fortress made of "milk crates and pillow cases" to prevent the snake from entering her room via the heat vent. "I don't like sleeping next to snakes," said Mooney. "Little bugs I can handle -- but I'm not used to snakes." Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said the escaped serpent is a "somewhat unusual occurrence." "It happened once several years ago," she said. "But it doesn't happen often." The letter issued by Residential Living instructs students who spot the snake to "calmly block the snake's access to the hallway, closets or drawers by closing doors" and call University Police for assistance. "We just want to give students a very quick and easy way to deal with it should a problem arise," Simeone said. "Some people are very squeamish about these things, and the snake shouldn't be there." Until Sam is captured, Delgado is being fined $50 each day, he said. "I didn't know it was illegal," he said. "[But] I apologize for any inconvenience or stress this might have caused." College junior Steven Antonelli, who lives down the hall from Delgado, said the University has blown the escaped snake escapade out of proportion. "They make it sound like it's a python," he said. "It's a baby snake [and] it's probably dead already." But Wharton sophomore Dee Defoe said Delgado was "very inconsiderate" in bringing Sam to school. She added that she is surprised at Delgado's actions, because " he's so quiet and totally reserved -- when you think of a man with a snake you think of some big macho man." Sam the Snake has black and yellow skin spotted with white highlights. Delgado said he purchased Sam about six months ago, and that it is "at its peak" in terms of size. He added that he truly misses his estranged pet. "I grew attached to it," Delgado said.