Thieves make annual uninvited holiday visits

by Kate Fitzsimons

Friday December 20, 2002

Winter has returned to Sarah Lawrence College, and so has the theft season. Casual theft becomes more common as work-distracted students forget common precautions such as locking doors and watching bags. The chance of break-ins skyrockets as dorms stand empty for nearly a month. Last year, thousands of dollars in computer equipment and other appliances were stolen from campus over the holiday season, along with a variety of other items.

The first major burglary of the season occurred on December 3, in a triple in Garrison C. Three wallets were taken from the closed room while the owners were several feet away in the dormitory’s common area. “It wasn’t locked, but we were just next door for only half an hour,” said first year C.C. Steinmetz.
Lost cash wasn’t the only problem for the girls. “We had to change our locks,” said Steinmetz’s roommate, first year Maja Kasnar. “Not only were our room keys in the wallets, but also the keys to apartments in New York.” They are asking for the safe return of their wallets, even without the money that was once inside. One wallet has already been returned. It was found empty and half-buried in the earth in a secluded spot on campus by one of the grounds-keeping staff.

Crime is a year-round problem even at prestigious colleges. A rash of bicycle thefts plagued Sarah Lawerence College earlier this year. “My bike was stolen from the railing outside Bates gate,” said sophomore Carmen Fong. “I locked it with a chain lock and came back from class an hour and a half later to find it gone. They say I should get a big ugly U-lock next time, but I can’t afford a new bike.”

Even that precaution proved useless for one student. “I had my bike stolen from near the library,” said sophomore Lisa Cralle. “I used a U-lock!”

Still, there is reason to believe that this year’s season of giving will be less generous to local criminals. “I’m happy to report that the number of burglaries at Sarah Lawrence College has dramatically decreased after the prime suspect in last year’s burglaries was caught,” said Larry Hoffman, Chief of Security on campus. “Also, this year we have enhanced our security systems by installing burglar alarms in many of our dormitories. These alarms will all be in use during the winter break.”
All the precautions in the world, however, are no defense against carelessness. “I had my camera stolen a while ago, from the library,” said senior Gabriel Greenberg. “It was my foolish mistake for leaving it out.”