By Isabelle Veloz
On Jan. 25, a student had come back from the city to her dorm, went to sleep and had suddenly woken up at approximately 5:30 a.m. Two men were standing at the end of her bed and upon the victims' alertness, the men quietly left her dorm leaving traces of alimentary vandalism in the Central residential building on campus.
The student has shared feelings of distress and paranoia after the incident and stated, “I've been trying to find ways to calm myself and sleep better. The first night or two I felt paranoid and kept waking up feeling like I was being watched. I was disturbed obviously and uneasy. Now I just keep checking the lock.” She continued, “I definitely feel less safe knowing that this is happening and that there are people out there doing this.”
Sign at the entrance of the doors of Central. (Photo by Alex Del Cueto)
She also expressed her frustrations regarding the incident and remarked, “The college's police officers, people who are in charge of our safety, admitted that the Central building is in bad condition.”
Following her immediate phone calls made to her parents and the University Police Department (UPD). UPD was at the scene in minutes requesting a statement from the victim, shortly after they sent out a message to the Purchase College community regarding the break-in.
The entrance of the University Police Department in the tunnel. (Photo by Alex Del Cueto)
“This morning UPD was notified of a suspicious incident that occurred at the Central Dormitory. A student reported awakening to find two unknown individuals in their apartment's common area wearing face coverings. The intruders immediately left the room and the student found their refrigerator and other items in the common area of the apartment had been disturbed,” the email wrote.
UPD followed up with a statement that included a list of safety tips like permanently marking your property and utilizing walking escorts.
Following additional messages the resident's mother received from the office of Residential and Student Life, the resident has noted that her mom and the parents of others were alarmed when hearing about the lack of safety.
The student noted that “The school has been doing nothing but sending out safety measures for people to follow” following the various messages sent via email by Purchase College faculty and UPD.
The Office of Residential & Student Life responded to the resident's mother's concerns stating “Thank you for reaching out to our office. As are you, we are prioritizing the safety of our students. University Police (UPD) is actively investigating all reports and will have an increased presence within the dorm. This presence will be inside and outside the residential areas. UPD is also actively viewing camera footage.
We are a large community and all need to do our part to keep each other safe. In turn, please remind your student to lock their suite/apartment and bedroom door. Additionally, they should not be propping doors as they navigate any residential or academic building.”
The email urged students to report any suspicious activity to UPD, Resident Assistants (RA) or Resident Coordinators (RC) in the building. The email also stated there are cameras outside all residential halls, although they are unable to install cameras inside the residential halls due to the communal bathrooms.
The Office of Residential and Student Life declined to comment.
Patty Bice, the vice president of student affairs, has also emailed the Purchase community and has stated, “As we start a new semester, I want to remind students and the campus community of ways to keep themselves and the community safe. The college prioritizes the safety of our entire community, and it is important that we all do our part to help keep our campus safe.”
Patty Bice followed this statement with a list of safety tips. The list included tips like being mindful of your surroundings and not propping doors of residential areas.
The Central residential building. (Photo by Alex Del Cueto)
The victim is adamant about advocating for the safety of others making sure other students are aware of the break-ins that are occurring.
“Make sure you're being careful and locking your doors. Even if it feels silly or repetitive to keep checking them,” she said. “Make sure to keep looking out for yourself and being vigilant you never know who could be on this campus, people can get here very easily, anyone can walk in at any time and you never know who to trust.”