Campus crime rate drops by 12 percent
by Daniel RuprechtAlthough campus crime has decreased by 12 percent so far this year, the recent KLC burglary has brought attention to the potential for serious crime at Lewis & Clark. And despite the drop in the September crime rate for the third consecutive year, there is no shortage of students who have been the victims of theft. Administrators and students agree that on-campus property crime continues to be a considerable problem.
Campus Safety statistics show a 12 percent drop in total crimes committed from January to September 1997 compared to the first nine months of 1996. The decrease continues a downward trend that started after on-campus crime peaked in 1994. Property crimes comprise nearly all of the total number of crimes committed.
According to Campus Safety Director Bill Curtin, the drop at LC follows a nationwide trend of decreasing crime. He also credited positive publicity received after last year's computer store break-in for raising the profile of Campus Safety and possibly discouraging would-be thieves.
The good news is small consolation to students who are victims of theft. Sophomore John Mathis, whose CDs and headphones were nicked from Tamarack Lounge earlier this year, is one of many students who have had items pilfered from computer labs, laundry rooms, and Watzek Library.
"I think there are a lot of people who just take stuff," Mathis said. "The Lewis & Clark community is a community full of thieves."
Curtin agrees that virtually all on-campus theft is committed by LC students. Although he speculates that some students might steal in order to buy drugs, there is no evidence of a crime ring or organized off-campus connections.
The detrimental effects of theft on community spirit are not lost on Resident Director Jason Calhoun. The Residence Life staff tries to create a "feeling of home" in the residence halls, he said. Theft violates students' trust of one another and hinders development of community.
"I had trust in my community. I was doing my part to feel community. Locks and chains are not necessary in a community," Andrew Ball said, whose grill was swiped from outside Alder. "It would be nice if you could leave something out in a public area for five minutes," Mathis added.
Curtin estimates that up to 90 percent of property crimes are preventable. "People just don't take care of their property," he said. "For almost every crime there is a corresponding lack [of preventative care.]"
He said that students' complacency often stems from their belief that theft won't happen to them. Campus Safety works with Residence Life to register equipment and encourage students to lock their doors and not leave belongings unattended. Curtin recommends that students refer to Settling In, the Residence Life handbook, for advice on protecting possessions from theft.
Few on-campus property crimes are solved, and victims are left only sadder and wiser for the experience. Paola Colosimo, whose shirt was cherry-picked from a laundry room clothesline, now hangs her clothes in her dorm room. And although Ball received a new grill for his birthday, the replacement will never see the light of day because it is confined to Ball's bedroom.