A series of thefts and vandalism struck the South Campus Commons over the last several weeks — many in the complex’s newest building — prompting a warning to residents to keep an eye on who they let into their buildings.
Last month, the apartment buildings faced such issues as stolen lounge furniture, damaged or stolen smoke detectors, broken windows, wrecked exit signs, smashed glass doors and even “unreported vomit in the entranceway” to Commons Building 5 and “defecation found in the trash room” on the third floor of Commons Building 7.
Officials suspect students who don’t live in Commons are responsible for the bulk of the damages, which are estimated to be more than $10,000, according to Erica Poindexter, associate director of the South Campus Commons.
University Police spokesman Paul Dillon said his department officers are investigating the incidents and had made no arrests by Wednesday.
Until last month’s spree of incidents, vandalism in Commons was down sharply compared to last year. Students appeared to shape up after being threatened with service cuts or higher rent in response to about $10,000 worth of separate vandalism in the fall.
Dennis George, assistant director for housing partnerships, said most of the recent incidents occurred close to spring semester finals, which may have contributed to the resurgence.
“I think in the warm weather, more people are out and about, and people are more stressed out at the end of the semester,” George said.
Commons residents expressed mixed reactions — ranging from serious concern to nonchalance — to the thefts and vandalism.
“I think that it’s definitely unacceptable,” said junior government and politics and history major Robyn Gougelet, who lives in Commons Building 7, which opened in January. “But they were very prompt in fixing the vandalism and sending out e-mails, so I think they’re taking the right steps to stop this.”
The e-mails sent to Commons residents called on them to monitor their guests’ behavior, not allow strangers to enter the building and report any incidents or safety concerns to Resident Life or University Police immediately.
“We want everyone to be mindful, aware and report what they see,” George said.
George said because thefts and vandalism lead to costs not included in the building’s budget, higher rental rates are a possible solution if problems persist — reiterating the threat from last fall.
But although Poindexter said rental rates for Commons are already set for the year, the possibility of future rent increases as the result of vandalism is a serious concern.
“That just needs to stop, especially since everyone has to pay for it,” said senior English major Ariel Brown, a Commons Building 7 resident. “I guess people are trying to be funny, but it’s not funny when you have to pay for it.”
Although George said he agreed that keeping costs down is important, he also said he thinks residents should be motivated by their responsibility to keep their building safe from vandalism.
“The most important thing is that I want people to take pride in where they live,” George said.
Dillon echoed this sentiment, saying the best way for Commons residents to prevent future incidents is through “peer pressure” and by intervening or alerting police if they witness acts of vandalism.
“People have to take responsibility for their environment and keeping it clean and safe,” Dillon said.
In another incident of on-campus theft and destruction, thieves smashed a glass door at the Patuxent Building near the Stamp Student Union and stole six MacBook computers valued at $13,000, Dillon said.The damage and missing computers were discovered early Tuesday.
newsdesk at umdbk dot com. Maria Romas contributed to this report.