Both off campus in University Heights and at UB North's apartment complexes, several students came back to school after winter break to find their homes turned into crime scenes.
With possessions stolen and collateral damage left behind, now they're concerned how the university handles their safety and security.
'UB needs to do something around here,' said Mike Maslyn, a senior communications major.
Maslyn, who currently lives on Merrimac Street in the Heights, was one of several students that returned from break to find his home had been burglarized.
'They kicked in the basement window, and proceeded to the upstairs,' Maslyn said. 'They kicked down all the doors to every room in our house.'
Fortunately for Maslyn and his roommates, few things had been taken when the break-in was discovered on Jan. 5.
'It was like they broke in, and then left in order to come back later and finish the house off,' Maslyn said.
Criminal activity in the University Heights area continues to be a problem for students who live in the area. Earlier this year a teenager was charged with attempted murder when he fired a gun at undercover officers on the corner of Minnesota and Bailey Avenues.
'This neighborhood is a lot more dangerous than it was when I was a freshman three and a half years ago,' Maslyn said.
The winter break is an especially busy time for burglary, since potential thieves can expect to find student houses unguarded for weeks. Maslyn and his roommates cannot even be certain when the burglary occurred.
'The incident occurred sometime between December 20 and January 5,' Maslyn said. 'We discovered the house was robbedafter one of my roommates returned from break to work.'
On-campus housing also saw at least two burglaries over break.
'I had already gone home for the semester when one of my roommates called and told me about the burglary,' said Sara Yaverbaum, a senior history major who lives in Hadley Village.
The burglary took place on Dec. 15, when an unknown person broke a window to enter the apartment.
At home in New York City at the time, Yaverbaum flew back to Buffalo when the crime was discovered.
'Nothing was taken, which made it even stranger, as if the perpetrator was looking for something specific and did not find it,' Yaverbaum said.
According to Yaverbaum, university officials were slow to respond to the situation, and even at one point tried to charge her and her roommates for the damage done
'Since nothing was taken there is not much to be done as a criminal investigation, but the locks should have been changed and the windows fixed right away,' Yaverbaum said 'I think the university dragged their feet on it.'
Another concern is the security system for on-campus housing. Currently the only way to access apartments and dorms on-campus is with a resident's UB Card.
High traffic flow and propped doors, however, end up letting people sidestep the electronic locks.
'Even the best system doesn't work unless people use it,' said Dennis Black, Vice President of Student Affairs.
Black advises students to call campus security if they see suspicious people in the building, and also to take valuables with them and lock all doors.
'The vast majority of (on-campus) crime is a result of unlocked rooms,' said Inspector Daniel Jay, who is in charge of the investigative division of University Police.
Black and Jay both also suggested renter's insurance, a form of coverage renters can receive that will insure their belongings at a cost of around 200 dollars a year.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
