A petition calling for increased investment in security for senior woodframe houses was denied this past Tuesday due to the high costs associated with such measures.

Andrew Kneynsberg ’09 and Dan Lachman ’09 presented the petition to Director of Residential Life (ResLife) Fran Koerting on Oct. 6 after their house and three other homes were burglarized on the weekend of Oct. 3. The petition was subsequently deferred to Physical Plant, who then denied the requests.

The petition, which had about 40 signatures, requested further security measures for all 142 woodframe houses, such as puncture-proof screens on all windows, reinforced and steel dead-bolted doors and motion-detecting exterior lighting.

“It seems to be an open secret that robberies happen all too frequently to the residents of woodframed houses and this trend needs to be put to an end for the sake of our safety and our piece of mind,” the petition read.

According to Associate Vice President for Facilities Joyce Topshe, the cost for fitting existing windows with security screens would be from $500 to $866 per window and adding security bars instead of screens would cost from $450 to $500 per window.

Topshe estimated that it would cost $1.1 million to $1.5 million to install security screens on the first floor windows of all 142 undergraduate woodframes and only somewhat less to install bars on the house windows.

Kneynsberg noted that part of the reason why the costs are so high is that many woodframes, such as his own, have lead paint and asbestos, which must be dealt with specially and add considerably to the installation cost.

“I don’t think there’s much to be debated about necessity and I don’t think that the cost [for the security bars] can be more than what has been stolen,” Kneynsberg said.

Koerting explained that while she sympathizes with the students’ concerns, ResLife does not have the funding or expertise to deal with installing security measures.

“We can advocate on students’ behalf, and I have voiced these concerns with Physical Plant, but we don’t have the budget for these type of changes,” Koerting said. “I rely on Physical Plant’s expertise.”

Kneynsberg became passionate about the cause of woodframe safety after his home on Knowles Avenue was the target of a burglary on the evening of Oct. 3. Lachman returned to their house at around 9 p.m. that night and discovered the door ajar, a window open, and his computer and Wii, among other items, missing.

The Knowles Avenue burglary was one of two to occur that Friday night, and one of four to occur that weekend. An article published in the Oct. 7 issue of The Argus (“Breaking and Entering,” Volume CXLIV, Number 11) stated that in two of the other incidents assailants were identified and in one instance a struggle occurred after a burglar was found in the house when the owners returned.

A Public Safety Announcement sent yesterday afternoon notified the campus community that three males associated with two of the burglaries have been identified. While only one of the suspects has been directly connected with the burglary, the two others are thought to be involved with the transportation of the stolen items. Public Safety (Psafe) stressed that no further burglaries have occurred since these incidents.

Kneynsberg noted that Physical Plant evaluated the damage to his house and within a week installed steel bars over the basement windows and motion detectors.

Kneynsberg, however, still did not feel safe.

“When [Physical Plant] came to inspect our house, they put bars over our basement windows,” Kneynsberg said. “This to me acknowledged the ease of ability for someone to break the windows…I understand that it may be too expensive to do campus-wide security screens to protect people’s possessions, but to protect [the student body’s] own well being the cost seems very reasonable.”

Topshe described the security screens as only vandal-resistant and not vandal-proof.

“With the right tools, any house can be broken into,” Topshe wote in an e-mail to The Argus. “The safest protection against break-ins is to secure all doors and windows, keep exterior lights on at night and report suspicious activity in the neighborhood to Public Safety.”

Director of Public Safety Dave Meyer also stressed that students need to take greater advantage of the safety precautions provided.

“There are many security measures already in place—a lot of it is just using them,” Meyer said. “Students should use what’s provided and if it doesn’t work then they need to report it.”

Meyer noted that statistically there has been a decrease since last year in campus crime: in September of this year there were five burglaries and 12 larcenies, while last September there were a reported 13 burglaries and 27 larcenies.

“I don’t see [the recent October burglaries] as a new trend, hopefully,” Meyer, who is currently working with the Middletown Police Department (MPD) in its ongoing investigation of the crimes, said. “I think the incidents we’re talking about are rare occurrences, such as the cutting of screens.”

On the Monday following the four burglaries, PSafe sent out an advisory alerting the community about the incidents and asking for any suspicious activities or information to be reported.

Knensyberg was glad that the community was alerted, but he still worried that the severity of the crimes was being played down to the rest of the community. He noted that two weeks before the burglary, his bike, which he usually keeps locked in the house, was stolen off of his front porch. Similarly, a house on High Street that was recently burglarized was also first the victim of a bike theft.

“No one told me that this was a sign that it could be the first crime in a series,” Kneynsberg said, noting that many woodframe houses have gained a reputation for being frequent targets of crime.

Dan Cerruti’s ’09 house on Pearl Street was one such targeted home.

“Since we have been here we have been broken into three times,” Cerruti said. “The third time one of my roommates had a confrontation with the guy… We all don’t need to be all alarmed and form an armed citizenry, but houses on the periphery should be given more attention and security measures.”

He added that since the robberies PSafe has added his area to their patrol route.

Jesse Rosenthal ’09, whose house was also recently robbed, agreed with Cerutti’s assessment.

“My issue with the ongoing process is that you can’t treat this as the exception, it must be treated as the rule,” Rosenthal said. “Just because it’s rare or unusual doesn’t mean you ignore the problem.”

Public Safety Lieutenant Paul Verrillo, who has been active on campus in urging students to take safety precautions, explained that these types of crimes are common on college campuses.

“A lot of the crimes are crimes of opportunity,” Verrillo said. “A lot of people prey on college campuses. I try talking to the students about keeping their houses secure… I’ve been stopping in areas where I see windows open.”

Koerting too recommended that students continue to lock all doors, to keep windows covered and to use window stops when windows are opened.

“We try to educate students as much as we can to keep houses and belongings secure,” she said. “I hope that students take the time to sign up for insurance coverage—not just for thefts, but also if their belongings aren’t covered by their parents’ homeowner policy.”

The ResLife website offers information on insurance policies that students can purchase to protect their personal possessions.

Topshe, however, insists that woodframe houses are as safe as all other housing.

“There is no evidence to suggest that a woodframe student house is more vulnerable to break-in than any other single family house in the neighborhood,” Topshe said. “A campus-wide project to install security screens on all undergraduate student houses does not appear to be warranted or feasible at this time.”

In contradiction, Kneynsberg noted that security screens—an item he requested in his petition—have been installed in all new woodframes and recently built residence halls.

Physical Plant also told Kneynsberg that putting bars on all woodframes, graduate, undergraduate and faculty houses would increase the susceptibility of other non-University houses to burglaries.

Yet still Kneynsberg remains optimistic that his actions will have a larger effect on campus.

“My first concern is my house, but I also want to tell other people about the security issue,” he said. “Some kids need the support of others or of the campus as a whole to get the security that they need.”

Rosenthal had an additional message for the student body.

“This shouldn’t deter someone from living in a woodframe,” he said. “It’s a great part of the Wes experience that you think about since your first party on Fountain freshman year. Just be aware of the inherent issues, of which security is primary.”