As students pay closer attention to schoolwork in the last few weeks before exams, UB officials warn that they should also pay close attention to their personal belongings to protect themselves against larceny and burglary.
Larceny is the most common campus crime, according to John Grela, UB's director of public safety.
Grela said that larceny is public theft that happens when people leave their belongings lying about.
"This crime occurs mostly because people are careless," Grela said. "They leave their things laying out while they go to the bathroom or go to get food."
"These crimes occur especially at the end of the semester, when people see books laying around," he added. "They see it as a way of making easy cash."
In 2003, there were a total of 419 instances of reported grand and petit larceny at UB.
According to Grela, students can prevent this kind of crime by "being aware of your surroundings. You cannot leave valuables unattended in public places. I know that it is inconvenient to pack up all of your stuff, but you really should, or have friends watch it. Don't have strangers do it," he said.
Many students, however, have had to discover this the hard way. Phillip Zubkowicz, a junior business major, had a pair of his favorite Express Men's jeans stolen out of a dryer in Fargo Quad last fall.
"I put a T-shirt and a nice pair of jeans into the dryer and went to class. I came back probably about 20 minutes after the dryer cycle would have finished, and my shirt was still there, but my jeans were gone," Zubkowicz said. "I was really angry."
Jillian Burke, sophomore political science major, had a similar experience when she left her comparative law textbook in one of the classrooms in Norton Hall earlier this semester. When she returned an hour later to retrieve the textbook, it was gone.
"I just think it's stupid that someone took it. It was only sitting there for an hour," Burke said.
Neither Zubkowicz nor Burke reported their losses to the police, a fact that goes to show the problem runs much deeper than just Grela's reported statistics.
According to another University Police official, another common crime of opportunity at UB is burglary, which differs from larceny in that the theft occurs on private premises, such as dorm rooms, buildings and offices. Ranking third in frequency of crimes on both campuses, there were 140 burglaries reported in 2003.
"Residents should make sure to always lock their door, even when going to the bathroom or talking to friends," said John Woods, assistant chief of University Police. "It is a crime of opportunity. If you do not give an opportunity, you won't be burglarized."
Samantha Roer, a sophomore nursing student, learned first-hand last spring to always lock her door. Her laptop was stolen out of her South Campus dorm room after she walked away from her room for a few minutes to talk to a floor mate.
"I was shocked by how quickly it happened. I was out of my room for not more than two minutes." Roer said.
"Keep your stuff locked up," she added. "Just because it's big doesn't mean they won't take it."
Roer was fortunate enough to have insurance to cover her loss, but Rina Miyasaka wasn't so lucky this past weekend. According to the freshman linguistics major, her roommate had gone home for the weekend, and Miyasaka was out for the majority of the day. When she returned to Ellicott, she found her door was wide open, and almost half of her clothes were missing, including jackets and sweaters, and all of her jewelry was taken.
"It's frustrating because my roommate accidentally left the door unlocked. Half of my stuff is missing, and they (university officials) said that there's really nothing you can do about it," she said.
Woods said since both larceny and burglary are crimes of opportunity students can protect themselves by eliminating the opportunity for theft.
"These types of crimes occur quietly, and mostly before people go on breaks, so next week people should be watching out," he said. "Make sure to lock doors and keep an eye on your stuff in public."
"I wouldn't say there is a specific type of person who commits these crimes," he added. "Someone sees something and it is a temptation."
Photo: Courtesy of Mitchell Kish
