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news
Recent thefts
in dorms raise security concern
By Lyndsey Shinoda
Summer On-line Forty-Niner
With reports of
several thefts of electronic equipment over the last month,
two of them taking place in the residence halls at Cal State
Long Beach, questions of security have arisen.
Lt. Michael Boldon
of University Police, said that the residence halls are indeed
secure, that is, if the residents take responsibility for
keeping them that way.
"To get into
a room, you have to walk through one of three entrances,"
Boldon said. "From there, you have to get into the suite.
Then there's the key to your own door."
Problems surface,
Boldon said, when residents prop their doors open with chairs
and block entrances to buildings, therefore allowing anyone,
key or no key, to enter the buildings.
"The majority
of thefts are due to individuals not securing doors,"
Boldon said. "We only know about those that file reports.
There are times that things take place that aren't reported."
Boldon offered
some valuable advice to keep residents safe.
"Make sure
you know who's on the outside of the door. If you see someone
who looks like they don't belong here, give us a call,"
Boldon advised. "When you leave your dorms, take that
chair away from the door. Take your keys with you and make
sure the door is pulled shut.
Be aware of your
surroundings. Make sure someone isn't coming in behind you.
Those are the best things to do."
Stan Olin, interim
director of Housing and Residential Life, said he was unaware
of all but one recent break-in.
"Building
security is based on our key system," Olin said. "For
that reason, we replace the appropriate lock cores when a
key is reported lost. The student is charged the approximate
cost of the hardware of $50. Once replacement is completed,
which is the same day if at all possible, security is restored
as the lost key will not open any student room door."
Questions have
also arisen as to who exactly has copies of these keys besides
the dorm residents. Olin said that housekeepers do not have
keys to the rooms, but the lead custodian has a key to the
building. The maintenance crew also has keys so they are able
to enter rooms to make repairs. Resident advisers and resident
coordinators also possess keys to the buildings and rooms,
Olin said.
Resident coordinator
Roshan Jayasinghe declined to comment on any of the aforementioned
issues.
Olin also said
that the staff of the residence halls makes rounds at 10 p.m.
every night. Efforts have been made to secure windows located
on the first floor in 12 of 18 residence hall buildings. Olin
said that tamper resistant screens have been installed, and
that the window situation at the remaining six buildings is
currently under review.
Senior Thuc Luu,
a women's studies major, lived in the dorms for two years.
She personally did not have anything stolen in her time there,
but said that many of her friends did.
"I always
had doubts about leaving my stuff there and going home for
the breaks, because I didn't know who had access to the dorms,"
Luu said. "When I lived in Los Cerritos, people would
leave their doors unlocked. The suites were more secure. If
you are careless, there is a bigger possibility people will
steal your stuff."
Olin said that
the staff of the residence halls has been well informed about
building security.
"We stress
these same points several ways: we discuss it in the student
handbook that every resident is given. Our staff reviews building
security at the building meeting at the beginning of the semester,"
Olin said. "Building security is part of our staff training
and our custodial and maintenance staff are instructed to
un-prop doors when they find them."
Olin also said
that emergency phones in the residence hall area have been
replaced, and exterior lighting around the buildings has been
drastically increased over the years.
Lt. Boldon encourages students to give police a call if there
is suspicious activity in or around the residence halls. 911
can be dialed from any campus phone, and for non-dire emergencies,
the University Police may be reached at (562) 985-4101.
But if something
does happen, Boldon offered suggestions to help the situation.
"First of
all, don't go into your room if something seems wrong,"
Boldon said. "Don't touch anything, because we'll probably
fingerprint. The number one thing is to keep you safe. We
can replace material things, but not people."
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