Not only is NSU renowned for the high quality of education it provides for its students, NSU is also known for its beautiful campuses. But there is something much more sinister lurking in NSU’s immaculate flower beds and perfectly manicured lawns: banana spiders.
Brazilian wandering spiders, more commonly known as banana spiders in South Florida, have been running rampant across NSU’s main campus and terrorizing students.
According to the South Florida Center for Arachnid Research (SFCAR), NSU is home to over 2,000 freakishly large banana spiders, and reports of large spiders sightings have increased dramatically across campus.
Recent studies from the SFCAR have also reported that the spiders present on campus have nearly tripled in size over the past decade. Currently, the largest spider to be reported on campus had legs approximately 31 inches in length.
Senior biology major Jamison Fowlkes, said, “It’s impossible to walk across campus without walking through a massive spider web. They’re literally everywhere, and there’s no way to avoid them.”
NSU’s infestation of banana spiders is highly concentrated in the area surrounding the Parker building. Students have reported multiple instances of spider attacks on main campus during the fall 2016 semester.
Janella Romas, junior psychology major, reported seeing a student being dragged behind the Parker building by at least a dozen oversized spiders.
She said, “I was on my way to my Organic Chemistry class when I heard an awful hissing sound coming from the Healing and Medicinal Garden. All of a sudden dozens of spiders came rushing out from the bushes, carrying a student that was wrapped up in the spiders’ silky webs. The spiders dragged the cocooned student behind the east side of the Parker Building, and I haven’t seen him since.”
The student has yet to be identified.
Raquel Ajis, sophomore theatre major, said she refuses to register for any class in the Parker building due to the spider infestation.
“I’m absolutely terrified of the spiders on campus. I refuse to go anywhere near the Parker building. It’s gotten to the point where I can’t even attend classes in that building,” said Ajis.
However, some individuals at NSU do not seem to be as concerned. Lena Howard-Xin, a maintenance worker for NSU, said she thinks that students are overreacting about the current spider crisis on campus.
Howard-Xin said, “These spiders are nothing compared to the ones we had over at Broward College back in my day. So what if students are being carried off by 30-something-inch spiders? In my opinion, we used to have it way worse. These students should be grateful that these little spiders are their only concern.”
NSU has hired a team of private investigators to investigate reports of spider attacks across campus and plans to hold a press conference on Nov. 1 to update students on the state of the university.
