"Brazen motherf*cker," said the middle-aged employee.
"Brigand!", shouted the English instructor.
"WTF," said the philosopher, over the phone.
Just got word that there’ve been some serious thefts at Irvine Valley College.
Last night, someone broke into A200 and stole at least one faculty computer from one office and books and other things from that office and other offices. I’m told that an IVC police officer came to investigate this morning, but the prospects of identifying the thief seem grim.
Those thefts occurred last night. But, yesterday, another faculty member found that her expensive Apple computer had been stolen from her office.
Nearly two weeks ago, Rebel Girl had been contacted and told that some boxes of books had arrived for her from Norton publishing. But when someone went to the mail room (in A200) to retrieve them, they had disappeared. Stolen. That was clear by January 4.
Perhaps the idea is that we should take solace in knowing that we’ll be moving to a new building in a year or so—one that can be secured. (Yeah, you can't open any of the windows. They're "modern.")
So shuddup.
Oddly, the thief or thieves took only the newer text books, which suggests a surprising understanding of the book world for a "thief." (Only new texts are likely to be easily sold for profit.)
Don't know yet whether thefts have occurred elsewhere on campus.
Maybe Glenn should check his parking space (it's the one with the little sign, showing a free-falling screaming parachutist avatar).
More later.
32 comments:
We won't know if thefts have occurred elsewhere - even if it is our own best intersts to know - because they so seldom tell us anything and there is no independent source of information that reports to the campus community beyond this blog. The real danger here is not loss of material goods but what might happen when the theif (or theives most likely) is interrupted in the act by faculty, staff or student. That is when it might turn really ugly and physical. Then the college's libaility - their knowlege of a clear danger and failure to respond or communicate - will be big. AS the blog has docmented we have a real problem with faculty and staff bailing way to early on their night classes - creating problems -and now perhaps dangers for the rest of us who do teach until the end. Where's the leadership?
They should send out security alerts so that faculty, staff and students can take extra precautions. I agree - the biggest danger is interrupting a crime in progress. Evenings on campus have never felt safe to me. Everyone does leave so early and there is never the kind of presence of administration and other resources that are open and available like at other schools. I wonder if some of these people have ever walked the campus at night,say at 9:30 or 10. It does not feel safe. Apparently it is not safe.
Scary. The mail room should be secure. Our offices should be secure. Our security and that of staff and students should not be negotiable.
They should tell people when stuff like this happens. They should also secure the offices before replacing the computers. Anyone want to be that they replaced the computers but did not add more security to the doors or windows? Anyone could break into A-200.
They have known about the mailroom thefts for some time. They do not care. I figure the fella just decided to earn more money by walking down the hall and getting stuff from our shelves. Why not?
We need to call for a security system. It wouldn't be unprecedented for a community college to have such a thing!
At another college where I taught, alerts were sent out as needed - and you'd be surprised how needed they were. I can't recall ever being told at IVC - officially, that is - that we should take care because this happened - or be extra alert because of an incident. If I were president and my staff had been the target of such crimes, I would have visited them myself and offered my sympathy - and taken action.
A responsible organization communicates with employees in a responsible way, especially about such issues. Otherwise how can they be effectively addressed? If your tech people replace computers but your facilities people don't address the safety problems - well, then, there's a problem. If people know that there is a pattern of theft but materials keep being delivered to an insecure facility - that just keep encouraging the thieves. And yes, if staff and students are not informed that there is an active thief - well, someone may be more likely to get hurt.
Motion-activated lights -- and perhaps cameras -- would be appreciated for those of us who DO stay until the end of our classes, and often BEYOND for "office hours." But when janitorial and security services impatiently impose on the classroom in order to do THEIR jobs earlier, it's no wonder the early desertion rate.
The lights and the cameras are a great idea but cost too much money, perhaps money that was spent readily on the Foundation office and yet again new furniture in A-100.
Juts ONCE I'd like to see the public presence of administrators throughout the evening during the first week of classes, welcoming people,saying hello - seeing how things works and do not work. Just once. Standing in the parking lot at ten saying good night and thanks. It's never going to happen is it?
Discouragingly, I have learned first hand that campus security did not even communicate the thefts among each other. The officer who showed up in the evening when we called to see if something could be done to secure the offices where new computers had just been installed had no idea there'd been any thefts. "Didn't you guys report it?" he asked. That failure of communication and the complete failure to secure the office: awfully discouraging.
For a theft to occur two elements must exist - opportunity and desire. Thieves have the desire. So you, every employee, has the ability to diminish (and in many cases, eliminate) the opportunity for theft through your own actions. Simple security measures like locks, key control, access control, cameras, etc., are barriers that reduce or eliminate opportunity. So, security is everyone's business. Unfortunately, IVC (like most academic institutions) has a culture of "they." That is, "They" should communicate, patrol, report, prevent, deter, suppress, etc., etc. Of course in this circumstance "they" is campus security and as always, the dastardly administration. IVC is and will continue to be an "easy target" for theft and other types of miscreant behavior until you, the employees, change your attitude about security. Take responsibility for the security of your own property and the public property and space you are trusted with. But if you simply want to find blame then all you have to do is look into the mirror. Best wishes and good luck!
It is certainly true that "we" (i.e., faculty and other members of the college community) also have responsibilities re security. But it certainly does not follow from that fact that "they" (i.e., administration) are doing their job. This administration has a long history of dropping the ball and otherwise failing to take steps that can be taken to keep people safe. The infamous "student with scissors" incident of two or three years ago comes to mind. And there are many other incidents. Much of this has been described on these pages.
This administration never tells us anything. That's been true for a very long time.
The instructors involved both locked their windows and doors. Often instructors are denied keys to anything aside from offices. Instructors are not given keys to the building or even classrooms. Beyond not leaving personal valuables overnight and locking entries into our offices, what can faculty possibly do?
Let's arm the teachers. This would be a great solution.
Dude, that's actually been SUGGESTED at board meetings.
Maybe someone in the "we" side should remind the "they" that:
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, codified at 20 USC 1092 (f) as a part of the Higher Education Act of 1965, is a federal law that requires colleges and universities to disclose certain timely and annual information about campus crime and security policies. All public and private institutions of postsecondary education participating in federal student aid programs are subject to it. Violators can be "fined" up to $27,500 by the U.S. Department of Education, the agency charged with enforcement of the Act and where complaints of alleged violations should be made, or face other enforcement action.
The Clery Act, originally enacted by the Congress and signed into law by President George Bush in 1990 as the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990, was championed by Howard & Connie Clery after their daughter Jeanne was murdered at Lehigh University in 1986. They also founded the non-profit Security On Campus, Inc. in 1987. Amendments to the Act in 1998 renamed it in memory of Jeanne Clery.
Schools and colleges are required to provide "timely warnings" and a separate more extensive public crime log. It is these requirements which are most likely to affect the day to day lives of students. The timely warning requirement is somewhat subjective and is only triggered when the school considers a crime to pose an ongoing "threat to students and employees" while the log records all incidents reported to the campus police or security department. Timely warnings cover a broader source of reports (campus police or security, other campus officials, and off-campus law enforcement) than the crime log but are limited to those crime categories required in the annual report. The crime log includes only incidents reported to the campus police or security department, but covers all crimes not just those required in the annual report, meaning crimes like theft are included in the log. State crime definitions may be used.
Schools that maintain a police or security department are required to disclose in the public crime log "any crime that occurred on campus...or within the patrol jurisdiction of the campus police or the campus security department and is reported to the campus police or security department." The log is required to include the "nature, date, time, and general location of each crime" as well as its disposition if known. Incidents are to be included within two business days but certain limited information may be withheld to protect victim confidentiality, ensure the integrity of ongoing investigations, or to keep a suspect from fleeing. Only the most limited information necessary may be withheld and even then it must be released "once the adverse effect...is no longer likely to occur."
The log must be publicly available during normal business hours. This means that in addition to students and employees the general public such as parents or members of the local press may access it. Logs remain open for 60 days and subsequently must be available within 2 business days of a request.
Here's a link to the IVC Crime Blotter on the college website:
http://www.ivc.edu/resources/police/blotter/default.aspx
They seem to use the archaic term "coed" at times.
There were thefts in the library during the break as well...
It was a popular pastime not so long ago for keys to be handed out like candy.
Interesting! Who knew there was an assault with a deadly weapon in December?
December 2, 11:01 AM, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Lot8 A local Irvine resident (non-student of IVC) came onto campus and assaulted an Irvine Valley College student. No injuries were sustained. The suspect is in custody. Report taken. This incident was reported to Irvine Valley College Police at approximately 11:01 AM on December 2, 2013.
Arrested.
They're trying to say that it's our fault when there is so little oversight as to who gets access to which buildings and why. The board should ask for the records of who has had keys to the big buildings on campus - the classroom buildings, SSC and the library. I think there would be some surprises.
A-200 is one of the few (if only) building on campus which lacks the visible presence of support staff. The only sort of 9-5 staff presence is in the Honors Lounge which is secluded from the rest of the building. The continued, and often thoughtless, remodeling of the increasingly decrepit building has only added to a situation that is ripe for theft.
On another note - has anyone taken a good look at the men's restroom in A-200? It was filthy during the break (why?) and has only gotten worse. I don't know about the women's room. I am talking deep filth.
The restrooms in A-200 have been filthy ever since they transferred Rosa after we we sent a letter commending her service. Figure that one out. Deep filth is right.
I am glad someone has noticed how the remodeling of the building has contributed to the problems we face. This was begun under Howard Gensler - remember him? Yes, we lost the dean's office and the support staff that goes with it. Don't get me started on the odd shaped classrooms with the funky furniture and the thin walls that allow us to listen to other classes or the parties in the student lounges.
Speaking of which: can we have the cast-offs from the Foundation Office after their pricey remodel is done? The A-200 lounge is about to get bigger once all the Bio cabinets are moved. We could use some the of the furniture that Richard doesn't want. Pretty please?
There is a chain of command regarding keys. very few gets keys to buildings. Very few. For the reasons cited here. Make your request for records and see for yourself.
I had a student's father ask me about this. He was picking up his daughter. He asked me if the "facilities" were always "so poorly maintained." At first I didn't know what he meant. Then he explained. What could I say?
Watch out. Remember the last time we complained about filth in the restrooms we were sent a case of TP from the director of facilities. That really set the tone. We were told to come to dean's office and pick up our own roll. That's why I don't complain any more. I just go over to A-100 where it's nice and tidy - and well-stocked.
I want to say that you're making that story up but it's probably true.
The TP story IS true but that was under another director (I don't think he ever apologized though). The problem today is a lack of staffing and of course, the terrifically poor design of the A-quad in general. We have grown so much and they never modified the restrooms to accommodate the numbers. It's pretty bad.
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