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Students robbed on Home Ave. by Sarah Vollmann News Editor Wednesday at approximately 2:30a.m., a group of men entered 74 Home Ave., asked the four students there for money and drugs, and forced the students into a room. One of the men might have shown a gun, according to Director of Public Safety Maryann Wiggin. They took $100 cash, a laptop computer valued at $250, a digital camera, and a watch valued at $10. The suspects are described as 3-5 Caucasian or Hispanic males in their early twenties. One of them had a stocky build and the others had a medium build. They were wearing dark jackets, jeans, boots and gloves, with stockings over their heads, according to Wiggin. The victims did not know the robbers, who were not students. Three of the four victims were residents of the five-person house, said one of the victims. Three of them were asleep at the time of the incident. The victims asked not to be identified. “Wesleyan is not the dainty utopia we thought it was,” one of the victims said. “People treat it like this place where bad things don’t happen, but it’s not.” 74 Home Ave. is a duplex, shared with 72 Home Ave. The building offers many easy ways to enter, said MacKenzie Davis ’02 and Sammie Kempner ’02, residents of 72 Home Ave. Both sides share the washer and dryer at 72 Home Ave., and the doors are left open so residents of 74 Home Ave. can come in and use the machines. Behind each side of the duplex are steps that lead to a room that connects to a shared garage, which is never locked. Both sides also share a basement, which has no lock. “It’s made us nervous all year that the door to the basement doesn’t lock,” Davis said. After the robbery, one of their housemates called Public Safety and requested a lock for the door. According to Davis, Public Safety forwarded them to Physical Plant who said they would talk later. Wiggin declined to comment on that issue. She did say, however, that Student Life Facilities went to the house yesterday to ensure that all the existing locking mechanisms were working properly. Student Life Facilities was unavailable for comment. “Students should use all of the security features and locking systems in their residential areas,” she said. Christene DeJong ’02, who lives at 45 Home Ave., said that students could do more to prevent such crimes. “I feel like it [the robbery] could happen again,” she said. “It’s horrible to say, but I was surprised that something like that hadn’t happened so far. . . . If you’re looking to rob a house, it’s clear that these are unsecured. They don’t have security systems, and students can be bad about locking things.” An incident like yesterday’s is rare at the University, according to Wiggin. The last time anything like this happened was two years ago, when one non-student committed four robberies in one night. Two of the victims were walking down High St., the others down Wyllys Ave. Public Safety identified and apprehended the person responsible, and the Middletown Police arrested him. “This type of incident does not occur frequently, and when it does, it’s taken seriously by Public Safety and by the University,” she said. The Administration has scheduled a forum for Sunday, April 14, to discuss the incident. After President of the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) Matt Fox ’03 makes opening remarks, there will be a question setting with Dean of the College Freddye Hill, Dean of Student Services Mike Whaley, Director of Public Safety Maryann Wiggin, members of the Middletown Police Force, and possibly members of other departments which relate to residential life on campus will attend. “As the University continues to codify and strengthen procedures of faculty governance, social policy, and academic policy, it’s our responsibility as student leaders to present an opportunity for all students to critique, analyze, and make suggestions regarding safety policies on campus,” Fox said. |
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