Students are not taking the proper precautions to keep their belongings from being stolen, according to Tim Albert, associate director of Residential Life. He also said that the high level of safety that most students feel may be partly to blame for theft on campus.
Albert said unlocked doors in the dorms is an example of students feeling too comfortable with their surroundings. In an effort to demonstrate how dangerous this can be, the Student Affairs created the Gotcha program.
Members of Gotcha check dorm rooms to see if they are locked. If not, the member leaves a note, locks the door and records the number for future checks. However, Mark LaHood, assistant director of Residential Life, approximates that at least half of the doors remain unlocked on their second check.
“College students are targets because they tend to not be as aware of their environment or careful with their items,” said Albert. He advises that students take advantage of the anti-theft programs offered around campus.
A new option is an invisible marker kit, which students can use to mark their items with black light-sensitive ink. The kit is available through University Police or Residential Life, but students who live on-campus can go to their RA for a free marking.
Albert said he has high hopes for this new program but is concerned that students will continue to be irresponsible with their items. “No matter how good you get the message out, people can only get it if they want to hear it,” Albert said.
Sixteen personal thefts have been reported this semester to University Police, according to Lt. Angela Honora of University Police.
It is double the number of thefts reported last semester, though Honora said the spring semester usually has a higher number of incidents. The number is comparable to previous spring semesters, which seems to suggest that theft is not a growing problem at Loyola.
Biology senior Eric Schulze had his laptop stolen at a Greek convocation in January. Schulze left his laptop in a backpack near the St. Charles Room. Despite periodically checking on it, he later found the backpack missing. The bag was eventually found and given to UP without the laptop inside.
Schulze said he was frustrated that no one at the scene could give any answers.
“I questioned everyone I could, but no one knew anything,” Schulze said. “It blew my mind that no one saw anything in a room that had 100 people in it.”
He later filed a report with UP, who worked with the New Orleans Police Department to search pawnshops for the laptop. Although the search proved fruitless, Schulze said he was pleased with the effort.
“I give them credit, they did a good job on this one,” Schulze said.
Both Schulze and UP have offered a reward for the item. Schulze said the distinctive magnesium casing of the laptop might help identify it. The make is a Twinhead, Model N1400.
Chris Liuzza can be reached at [email protected].
