Recently, the Exponent reported on the odor that is reeking across Purdue's campus. While I agree that the rotting fruit causes quite a stench, the stench that bothers me cannot simply be the result of rotting fruit. This is the foul odor that looms over the Greater Lafayette area. A few ways to describe this odor would be putrid, rancid and noxious. It is so strong at times that I begin to feel nauseous.

I was first introduced to this odor as I drove through Lafayette for the first time back in August on State Road 26 near Walgreen's and the medical center. My boyfriend and I assumed that there was something foul in the immediate area — a dead animal or something. But as my first semester at Purdue progressed, I realized that the odor creeps up sporadically all over the place — near the Electrical Engineering Building or the Purdue Student Health Center, driving north on Highway 52 or near I-65, during my early Sunday morning runs near Fort Ouiatenon, and even into the Young Grad House lobby and elevator.

I have asked several locals if they had any idea where this stench was coming from. Some suggested the Wabash, the sewage plant or the variety of plants that are scattered throughout Lafayette. What was strange is that none of these people seemed too concerned about the odor - yes, they knew of it, but finding out what caused it or more importantly, having any concerns about what effects it may have on the community at large was not an issue.

Unless gingko trees grow all over Greater Lafayette, I would argue that something more serious is causing this horrible odor. If anyone knows the source, I would surely like to know what it is.