Residence hall theft is on the rise.
In March alone, seven instances of theft were reported by on-campus residents, all of which were a direct result of unlocked doors, according to the BGSU police department. Over the past three years there has been an average of just 15 reports.
Several crime-alerts have been posted in residence halls across campus in the past few weeks, making students aware of recent incidences involving theft and unlocked doors.
Recently, a posting in Rodgers Hall told of a male resident who found the door to another room unlocked at 4:30 a.m.
The student entered the room a first time and stole some items. Then, upon entering a second time, proceeded to commit a sexually-related offense against the female resident who was sleeping.
This and many other related crimes could have been avoided if on-campus residents simply locked their doors, said Lieutenant Robert Blackburn.
For freshman Carrie Guinness, there are more important things on her mind than locking the door everytime she leaves her room.
“I hardly ever lock my door,” Guinness said. “I really don’t think anything is going to happen, not on my floor at least.”
Guinness added that she trusts her floor-mates, and knows most of them personally.
Blackburn and other campus police officers understand the comfort that comes with living amongst friends, but they say that taking precautions is a necessity.
“I believe the residences halls are like a community,” Blackburn said, “but just like at home, you lock your door when you leave your house and I think students should feel the same way.”
Mathew Kohs, a freshman and resident of Harshman-Dunbar, said he and his roommate always lock the door to their room, just so no one enters when they are not there.
“A kid on our floor left his door unlocked and got a bunch of stuff stolen, including his graphing calculator,” Kohs said.
The friendly atmosphere of residence halls like Founders Quadrangle also promotes a laid-back living environment, said sophomore Jeff Sowecke.
“The only time we lock our door is when we all leave for breaks,” Sowecke said. “People are always going in and out and we’re just pretty lazy about it.”
Sowecke did mention he would probably start locking his door if he heard that things were getting stolen from his floor.
At the end of the day all campus police can do is offer their advice, and hope that students take that extra second to protect their personal belongings.
“My daughter went to school here,” Blackburn said, “and I would tell her to keep her dorm room door locked all the time.”