Six burglaries occurred on campus in October, according to Sergeant Maurice Carter, coordinator for AU Public Safety.
These burglaries occurred within the six residence halls on campus and should not be classified as thefts, according to Carter. Thefts are stealing from open spaces, while burglaries are stealing from private areas such as dorm rooms.
"The difference between burglaries and thefts are that burglaries are unlawful entry with the intent to commit theft," Carter said.
Brett Wilson, a junior in the College of Arts Sciences, is a resident assistant in Letts Hall. The best advice Wilson said he gave to students who wish to stop future burglaries is to always lock their doors whenever they leave their rooms.
"It's the only way to ensure that there will not be theft, unless someone breaks in," Wilson said. "If you really don't want someone to get in, deadbolt your door."
Carter echoed Wilson's advice. "It sounds silly, but the biggest struggle on this campus is getting kids to lock their doors," Carter said. "Lock them whenever you leave the room or even just to use the restroom."
According to Carter, far too many people leave their rooms unsecured and "individuals can just walk right in."
Heather Sinn, a sophomore in the School of International Service, had her Letts Hall room burglarized last month.
Sinn and her roommate usually deadbolt their door every night but she said they had visitors over late the night of the burglary and forgot to do so.
"That night I woke up around 3:30 a.m. and saw someone close the door and leave it ajar," Sinn said. "I thought it was my roommate getting up to go to the bathroom."
When Sinn later heard her roommate move in the bunk bed above her, she ran down the hallway after the burglar.
"I saw stuff everywhere, including contents from my backpack," Sinn said.
"Our neighbor's door was ajar as well, so I awoke them and told them what had happened."
According to Sinn, she had her backpack and an athletic bag stolen and her roommate had two purses taken.
"Public Safety called us to their offices a week later for a follow-up and we had to pick out the suspect from a line-up of pictures," Sinn said. "This other girl and myself picked the same picture of this male student we have seen that we believe lives on the south side of campus."
Sinn said Public Safety had her and her roommate fill out a written report and said they'd take care of the situation, "assuring them that the suspect would be caught."
Sinn is unsure how the suspect picked the lock to her room.
Nicole Vitale, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, locks her room every day and also at night.
"I'm not really any more scared for my stuff than I have been in the past," Vitale said. "I think twice before leaving the unlocked room to go to the lounge or something, but I figure people are going to attempt to steal things from an unlocked room before a locked one."
However, other students feel that locking doors isn't an issue. "I haven't been here long and I don't think crime is a big problem at AU," said Jason Oliver, a freshman in SPA. "We don't lock our door often but I don't think it's a big deal"
