CAMPUS CRIME: A series of thefts in Holmes Hall

by Marilyn King

Notice something missing?

Think that theft isn't something that happens on campus? Think again. 

Holmes Hall, home to many Lyman Briggs School of Science undergraduate students is one of many dorms experiencing problems with theft this year. 

An especially apparent case occurred at the end of September, when a framed picture was stolen out of the first floor lounge of West Holmes in the middle of the night.  

Holmes Hall manager Dean Matsudo knows that these cases of theft are not something to joke about. 

“In my eyes, stealing is stealing,” Matsudo said. “It is against the law.” 

A few weeks after the picture-napper attacked the lounge, a student’s laptop was stolen right out from under him. It was snatched from the student’s desk in his dorm room.  

Crime is crime and the perpetrator is facing real penalites. “The police will handle it just like any crime,” Matsudo said. “They can take it to the prosecutor and file a warrant for a person to be arrested.”  

If the culprit is an MSU student, not only will they face the criminal justice system but also the MSU judicial system. A student convicted of theft has broken his or her University Housing Contract and can be kicked out of the hall, banned from living on campus or expelled from the university.  

Some students, especially new freshman, aren’t always sure what to do if they become a victim of theft. Erika Schmeck, a freshman living in West Holmes, didn't report what happened to her. “I left my wallet on a table in the fifth floor study area when I ran to my room to get something,” Schmeck said. “When I came back, my wallet wasn’t on the table. Luckily I had my important things, such as my student ID and debit card, already in my other wallet in the room. I didn’t report it because it wasn’t that big of a deal. The thief probably thought they’d find more in there. But I liked that wallet.” 

Matsudo encourages residents, not only of Holmes but any dorm, to take action as soon as they find out something has gone missing. The police need information to recognize patterns.  

“Do not become another victim,” Matsudo said. “If you are a victim, contact the MSU police immediately. Then let the Mentor on the floor and the management know what has happened.” 

Matsudo also strongly recommends keeping your door locked and reporting strangers.  

If you have become a victim of theft in Holmes hall, contact Dean Matsudo or Kate Burdick, the Holmes Hall Complex Director.