Vandalism, theft in De Neve an ongoing problem

The recent spotlight on the assault in De Neve last December has
overshadowed smaller, more obscure instances of crimes in the
area.

Letters from signs over De Neve plaza rooms and the De Neve
auditorium have been taken by various students throughout the year.
Approximately 150 letters have been stolen since September, said
Resident Halls Manager Steve Dundish.

“The letters are an ongoing problem. They continue to be
taken down, and we replace them as quickly as we can,”
Dundish said.

Some of the letters were found in the rooms of Dykstra
residents, who were charged with vandalism.

“The problem with the signs is that they’re easily
accessible and easy to take. It’s difficult to prevent them
from being stolen,” Dundish said.

A solution that is being considered in response to the vandalism
is to have one big sign, instead of individual letters, for each
room.

Another instance of vandalism in De Neve was the breaking of
four frames holding posters. The posters were not taken but were
damaged by the broken glass.

A photograph from a display in De Neve, which an Office of
Residential Life staff member created, was also stolen, according
to ORL Director Suzanne Seplow.

De Neve external vice presidents were told that if the vandalism
persists, housing prices may increase again to cover the costs of
replacing the letters and frames, but ORL Associate Director Jack
Gibbons said this wasn’t true.

The vandalism also extends beyond De Neve facilities to the
faculty apartments. Some De Neve faculty in residence decorate
their front porches with potted plants for a more aesthetic look
and have had their plants stolen or their pottery broken.

“The plants are a constant problem. People are always
stealing them,” said District I Project Coordinator Robin
McDonald, a De Neve faculty in residence.

“I’m at the point where I’ve had so many
stolen that I don’t bother replacing them … I think
it’s ridiculous that I would have to go to such ends,”
McDonald said.

In some cases, plants were not only taken, but also thrown
across the walkways.

“People weren’t even enjoying the plants, they were
just being destructive,” McDonald said.

The problem is specific to De Neve because faculty members in
other residence halls must approach their homes from hallways and
don’t have porches to decorate, Gibbons said.

Other items taken from the porches of faculty apartments include
small barbeques, bicycle tires and a child’s basketball
hoop.

“The thing that really bothered us was the basketball hoop
being stolen. You can tell it’s a child’s, and
it’s very sad because the Frankes are a valuable part of our
community,” McDonald said.

The basketball hoop belonged to 7-year-old Joshua Franke and his
10-year-old sister Tessa, who reside with their parents in
DeNeve’s faculty apartments.

“Joshua was shocked to find out that his basketball hoop
was gone because it’s his first experience of something being
taken from him,” said Megan Franke, an associate professor of
the graduate school of education.

“I think it’s made him more cautious. He worries
more about things being taken,” Franke said.

The basketball hoop has since been replaced, and the new one has
been tied and locked down.

“It mostly made us feel sad that we couldn’t depend
on the fact that things wouldn’t be gone,” Megan Franke
said.

While no one has been caught, faculty in residence and their
families feel the vandals are not from the residence halls because
students are generally very respectful.

“A lot of students come over to our house, and I
can’t see any of those students taking our basketball
hoop,” said Tessa Franke.

“She still has faith,” Megan Franke said.
“It’s kind of nice.”

While some faculty feel the thefts are more of a nuisance than
anything else, they also feel the issue at hand is more about
respect than vandalism.

“I don’t think people are even aware that staff
members live here. I think it’s an assumption that students
live here, which is just worse because then they think that
they’re stealing from students,” McDonald said.

ORL and faculty in residence said they feel students, faculty
and staff must work together as a community to prevent more
instances of theft from occurring.

“Who knows who may be responsible? We want everyone to be
watching out for the community, respecting the community,”
Seplow said.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *