Ross thefts spark security concerns

Author: Andrea M. LaRocca

A recent surge in the number of thefts outside Ross and Proctor Dining Halls, outside the fitness center and within the Peterson Athletic Center locker rooms marks the third time this academic year that a rash of robberies has plagued campus. In the past two weeks, eight dining hall thefts of backpacks and/or jackets and six athletic center thefts of personal belongings such as wallets and iPods have been reported to Public Safety. Over 20 total thefts have occurred this year.

"I wouldn't call the recent thefts an increase in theft," Assistant Director of Public Safety Melody Perkins said. "It hasn't been steady this year, but unfortunately, thefts outside the dining halls have been sporadic. So I wouldn't call it an increase lately because it's been this way all year."

Perkins said that Public Safety is skeptical that the stolen belongings will be recovered because officers "have not observed anyone who might be responsible."

But by sheer luck, three students have had some of their belongings recovered. "We recovered the contents of two backpacks out in Weybridge," said Perkins. "One woman had the contents of her backpack strewn about in a picnic area down by Otter Creek. An alum who was walking his dog found some of her stuff with her name on it and brought it into our office. Then, a reverend of the Congregational Church in Weybridge found some of the notebooks, binders, etc. of two other students."

Perkins said that because the sites are about one and a half miles apart, the incidents cannot be conclusively linked. Perkins also said that they cannot determine whether the thefts were committed by College students or persons outside the College because "the picnicking area is a place where College students go, and both College students and others have access to both sites."

Public Safety continues to patrol outside the dining halls, but Perkins said that they "are in no way making changes" to the overall College policies of patrolling. Public Safety is also currently having conversations about the possibility of installing cameras outside the dining halls to monitor traffic. On Jan. 16, 2005, the Student Government Association (SGA) passed a resolution that approved the installation of video cameras outside Proctor. The controversial issue has sparked much student debate since then.

According to Tom Corbin, assistant treasurer of the College, "The camera proposal is on hold pending further discussion on campus. After the SGA vote, a couple of groups raised privacy concerns."

But for the students who have experienced thefts, safety supercedes privacy. Dan Saper '06, who had his backpack stolen from Ross Dining Hall at about 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, 2005, said, "The frustration and sense hopelessness is just awful. "You feel violated. I was much less worried about the material goods in [my backpack] than I was about the irreplaceables, like my binders and notebooks."

A male friend of Saper also had his backpack stolen from Ross at that time, as did another female student who had left her backpack near Saper's.

"This incident did have a substantial impact on my views toward campus safety," said Saper. "Before, I seemed to empathize with those students who felt that cameras in the dining halls would be an imposition on our privacy and a violation of everything that makes Middlebury's community what it is. That is still understandable, but to be able to know - or at least for Public Safety to know - who stole my backpack would have been a huge relief and provided me with a much needed sense of security."

Before any conclusive actions are taken, however, Perkins encouraged students to "make sure that [they] are not carrying things [they] don't need for the day - passports, drivers license, etc. Put the MiddCard and key in your pocket when you're going into the dining hall, just as a precaution," she suggested.