Two more incidents of intruders entering Morse College entryways were reported this week, adding to the growing number of intrusions into residential colleges this year.
A student in entryway H reported his laptop was stolen from his room Sunday, while another intruder was found going up the stairway of entryway C. The break-ins into Morse this week follow similar reports of intrusions into Silliman College and the arrest of a male graduate student last month by University Police for trespassing in a Morse College bathroom while a female student showered.
James Stanley ’07, who has a suite on the forth floor, said his laptop and other belongings were stolen after he left his room door open to get lunch Sunday.
“I got back half an hour later and my laptop was gone,” Stanley said. “It was locked to the desk with one of those combination locks, but [the intruder] just broke it.”
Stanley said the intruder also took a mug full of change from his desk and his backpack full of Spanish books, possibly to transport his laptop without arising suspicions. Until the incident, he said he and his suitemates always kept the door to their suite propped open, but now encourage students in neighboring suites to keep their doors locked.
The details of this case mirror those reported by Peter Nicewicz ’08, a Silliman student who also had his laptop stolen around midday two Sundays ago while he went out for brunch. As in Nicewicz’ case, Stanley said his roommate was sleeping at the time of the incident and did not hear the intruder enter the suite.
Morse Master Frank Keil sent an e-mail to the college Wednesday about the incidents and advised students to keep their entryway, suite and room doors locked at all times.
“Even if it is for a one minute trip to the bathroom, please lock the doors to your rooms whenever you are not in them,” Keil said in the e-mail. “There are intruders who wander through the colleges trying every door until they find one that is unlocked and then enter, apologizing for being lost if someone is in the room.”
He said the intruder claimed he was looking for books in the library before going through the upper back doors of the library into the stairwell of entryway C. Keil said the intrusion to entryway C was reported by students “a couple of days ago,” though a police report was not filed.
“The intruder was older. I’m pretty sure he was a male,” Keil said. “He quickly left the college when he was confronted.”
Alexander Grindley ’07, a Morse student who lives in entryway C, said he had not heard of the incident and that his suite still keeps the suite door open.
“We always have our suite open, but I think most of us lock our door,” the student said. “So I think this whole hallway anyone can get into.”