December signifies a month
of many presents - for thieves
■ When students leave town
for the holidays, the crooks
move in for the killing
By Darren Freeman
Oregon Daily Emerald
When students leave Eugene for
the holidays this December, would
be thieves will likely comb the cam
pus and surrounding areas for easy
targets, police warn.
“Unfortunately, there are predators
out there just waiting for you guys to
go home,” Eugene Police Department
spokeswoman Jan Power said.
Typically, theft is common in the
University area during the holidays
and during finals week, when stu
dents are struggling to end the term
and begin the winter break, said Pow
er.
She said students should be sure to
lock doors and windows and chain
bikes while they pack their cars and
secure their homes.
Department of Public Safety Lt.
Joan Saylor said there are often at
tempted burglaries in Greek houses,
in student-populated apartment com
plexes and on campus — all areas
which she called “target-rich envi
ronments.”
“The bad guys know just as much
as you do that it’s finals week,” she
said. “There are people coming in
here thinking it’s an easy mark.”
While cramming for finals on cam
pus, students should always keep an
eye on their backpacks, wallets and
laptop computers.
“A broken record during finals
week is ‘do not leave your backpacks
and valuables behind because when
you come back, they could be gone,”’
Saylor said.
After finals are completed and
term papers turned in, Saylor added,
students should take extra measures
to make their homes unappealing to
would-be thieves.
She suggested keeping valuables
away from windows and out of sight.
Also, she recommended stopping
mail and newspaper deliveries to
avoid making it obvious that a house
is empty.
Students living in the residence
halls, however, will have somebody
looking after their belongings during
the holiday.
In addition to DPS and student pa
‘Tis the season for theft
Winter break is not only a time for
holiday cheer, but also a prime
season for would-be thieves, who
target homes vacated by students
who leave town for the holidays.
Police and campus security officers
recommend students:
- lock all doors and windows
-close drapes and blinds
- keep valuables away from windows
and out of sight
-stop mail and newspaper deliveries
-ask trustworthy neighbors to be on
the alert
trols maintaining a campus presence
during the break, University Housing
uses the time to extensively clean the
residence halls.
“There are eyes and ears around,”
said Sheri Donahoe, associate direc
tor for residence life.
University Housing will change
the locks on the outer doors and give
keys only to students who pre-regis
ter to stay on campus during the
break.
Calendar
Wednesday, Nov. 29
—Center for the Study of Women in
Society Wednesdays at Noon: Visiting
scholar Kathryn Quina, University of
Rhode Island, discusses “Moving Be
yond Bare: Psychological Issues for
Women in Prison.” Noon-1 p.m.,
Room 330, Hendricks Hall. Free.
— Russian Film Series: “Anna 6to 18,”
Nikita Mikhalkov's underground docu
mentary, with subtitles, about his
daughter in the USSR and post-Soviet
Russia. 6:30 p.m., Room 115, Pacific
Hall.
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Stop by our table in the Erb Union
on Wednesday, November 29th.