As students make plans to return home, those living on campus don't have to worry about their dorm rooms or apartments being burglarized during the break. Off-campus residents, on the other hand, are being encouraged to take precautions before they leave to prevent break-ins while they are away.
John Grela, director of public safety, said while there is no evidence that such break-ins necessarily increase during the winter period, students should take extra steps to assure that their homes will be safe.
"Students should ask their landlord or a neighbor to shovel the snow in the driveway and sidewalk, so that it doesn't look like nobody is living there," he said. "Students should also either have their mail and newspapers held at the post office or ask a reliable neighbor to collect the mail for them."
Many students, however, say they're not overly concerned about the security of their homes while they're away from school.
"We're going to lock the doors and ask a neighbor to keep an eye on things, but we're really not worried," said Rich Burger, a senior political science and philosophy major. "We live in a more suburban neighborhood. It's actually really nice out there, so we're not too concerned about the possibility of somebody breaking into the place while we're gone."
Grela stressed that students can never take enough precautions when leaving their homes for such a long period of time.
"There really hasn't been a history of break-ins occurring more frequently over the semester break that I know of, but you really never know," Grela said. "There's an average of one or two break-ins per week and they don't seem to be student-targeted. Regardless, it's still a valid concern for students who will be leaving this winter."
Rob Santos, a senior communication major, said he took some precautions to keep his home safe over winter break last year.
"I had one of those automatic timers that turn the lights on and off, even though everybody knows about them so it's not a huge precaution," Santos said. We also made sure the windows and doors were locked, of course."
Grela added that using automatic timers like Santos does is a good start to better ensuring security. But students should consider taking their most valuable things home with them, he said.
"Students should store valuables in a secure place in their home or take them with them," he said. "Personally, I wouldn't leave an expensive watch or jewelry behind, I'd take them with me."
Lorenzo Guzman, director of off-campus housing, also suggested that students take note of the condition of their residence before leaving.
"Know how you left the house so you'll know if anything changed or was moved while you were gone. Knowing this will help you to determine if your house or apartment has been broken into," Guzman said. "Also, tenants should notify their landlord that they will be leaving for an extended period of time and that nobody should be in the unit during this period. If the landlord sees anyone going in or out of your house or apartment they will know to notify the proper authorities immediately."
Although a simple step, Grela and Guzman both stressed that students should make sure that all of the residence's windows and doors are locked before departing.
"There's not much else you can do unless you have an alarm system," Guzman said.
