By: Tejay Cleland, Editor-In-Chief
Newman has experienced an increased number of car break-ins over the last month, which isn’t unusual for this time of year, said Director of Security Morris Floyd. The rate of break-ins on campus typically rises when the temperature drops.
There have been three separate instances of break-ins recently: on Oct. 24, Oct. 29 and again on Oct. 30.
“‘Tis the season,” Floyd said. “It generally picks up right around the holidays and will probably run through the middle of February, is my guess.”
The Oct. 29 break-in occurred in the Fugate Hall parking lot, when a vandal threw a projectile through junior Stella Schneider’s rear passenger window and stole her bag. Although the bag did not have anything in it, the incident left Schneider with a shattered window.
Schneider said she woke up the morning after the incident to a text letting her know her window was broken.
“It wasn’t the greatest text to wake up to,” she said. “But after calling my parents and insurance, they said it would be an easy fix so there wasn’t any reason to be too upset about it all. It was more of just an inconvenience that I had to deal with.”
Floyd said he urges students to take their belongings out of their vehicles or put them out of sight.
“Prevention is the best thing,” Floyd said. “If they have nothing to steal, they will not break a window, and they will not steal anything. Period.”
One of the other break-ins also involved a broken window, and the thieves took an owner’s manual from the vehicle. In the other incident a student’s catalytic converter was stolen out of a vehicle.
In most of the crimes involving student’s vehicles, the students did not have parking permits. This can be an issue because security then cannot identify whose vehicle was involved in the crime, Floyd said.
If students are wanting to obtain a parking permit for their car, they can get one from 9 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m to 8 p.m. today in the lobby of Eck Hall. They will also be passed from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday. Students can also reach out to Floyd for a parking permit by email at floydm@newmanu.edu.
PHOTO: Courtesy Photo, Unsplash
