At least five incidents of trespassing, including three burglaries, have occurred since the start of February on or near the University of Oregon campus, according to an UO Alert sent on Feb. 26.
According to the alert, an unauthorized person entered Barnhart Hall’s 1st, 2nd and 4th floors on Feb. 25 and attempted to pry open 1st and 4th floor lounge doors.
The alert also said the same person involved in the Barnhart Hall incident and a second person are wanted for “questioning” in connection with two laundry burglaries at Carson Hall and Living Learning Center South during the week of Feb. 17.
On Feb. 18, a student living in Spencer View Apartments, an off-campus apartment complex, reported their bank card and key fob as stolen by a different suspect that has not been identified, according to a Feb. 21 UO Alert.
On Feb. 23, another suspect was found in Matthew Knight Arena men’s locker room who had “gathered items” and taken them to a bathroom stall, according to the Feb. 26 alert.
According to UO Spokesperson Eric Howald, the suspects gained access to residents’ floors when doors were held open for them.
“Holding a door for someone or even allowing them to skip using a key or keycard is an act of kindness, it’s commendable. It can also cause problems, as we saw here,” Howald said.
Sophia Goncalves is a freshman living in Carson Hall and neighbors with a resident who had their laundry stolen.
According to Goncalves, her neighbor originally thought their laundry was moved when the dryer timed out, before realizing the laundry was stolen.
“She (resident) went around to every door, banging on the doors and then she went to the Resident Assistant on call and the person above them,” Goncalves said.
Goncalves said the incident made her think about the security of Carson.
“It made me very hyper aware of how easy it is to get in here. You can just wait for someone to open the door,” Goncalves said.
Emma Klausenburger is a graduate student and an RA in Carson Hall.
Klausenburger said she’s been keeping an eye on her laundry more than usual.
“I was really scared to do my laundry for a little bit and I did it last night and I was literally like sitting in the lounge area just to wash my clothes to make sure that no one like no one came and tried to steal my stuff,” Klausenburger said.
Anna Schaffner, a freshman living in Barnhart Hall, said she was slightly concerned about the trespassing incident, but she was not surprised it occurred.
“Honestly, I think we see these things around, like (I) get the crime alerts all the time and they are always by Barnhart so it’s another thing but it felt a little different this time because now it’s in our dorm (and) this is where we live,” Schaffner said.
According to the Feb. 26 alert, the male suspect in the Barnhart, Carson and LLC cases is identified to be approximately 35 years old, and the woman suspect connected with the laundry incidents is approximately 25 years old.
Finn Burgoyne, who lives in Carson Hall, said he thought it was odd that middle-aged people were able to access the floor and laundry room.
“It’s crazy (it was) random 30 year olds who did it, like people that shouldn’t be in a dorm room,” Burgoyne said.
In addition to avoiding holding the door open for unknown people, UOPD advises students to “report any suspicious activity.”
“When you see someone who doesn’t seem to belong in your space, you haven’t seen them before, they’re acting oddly — say something.” UOPD Chief of Police Jason Wade said.
The alert also advised students to “carry a well-charged cell phone with emergency numbers pre-programmed.”
Bryson Beck, director of promotions and student recruitment, said UO is “deeply concerned” about the recent incidents and emphasized that students should report “any and all” crimes to UOPD, even if they seem minor.
“We hope to prevent future occurrences by ensuring students are aware that these instances of trespassing can be prevented by not allowing folks to follow them into secured spaces in their buildings,” Beck said.
