Campus radio station WQHS experienced a break-in four months ago, but with the help of another local radio station, it has almost completely recovered its losses.
On the evening of Sept. 25, the station's office door was forced open, and several electronic items were stolen. No suspects have been arrested in connection with the burglary.
A new digital recorder/MP3 player, a Nintendo 64, a Sega Genesis and some game cartridges -- worth a combined total of about $700 -- were taken by the intruder.
The recorder/MP3 player, which the station had recently purchased with its funds from the Student Activities Council, was the most valuable thing in the office, according to head music director and College junior Roger Tang.
And, according to station manager and College senior Sara FitzSimmons, without this device, WQHS had no way of recording interviews -- which meant that the station had to do live interviews in the studio or none at all.
But calls to officials to find out about insurance coverage on the damage to the door and the stolen items went unreturned, according to FitzSimmons.
Though insurance provided no help, FitzSimmons did note that the staff members at WXPN -- the professional radio station WQHS shares its office with -- came to the aid of the campus station.
WXPN "helped us out by giving us some of their new equipment and buying a few extra things for us," she wrote in an e-mail interview.
In all, WXPN provided the campus station with close to $1,000 worth of new equipment -- including a new digital recorder, new microphones and Pro Studio headphones, according to FitzSimmons.
But while it has regained its recorder, the station is still without an MP3 player -- and WQHS board members say it is also in dire need of other electronic equipment.
"We still have a lot of things to improve in the studio," Tang said. "We need a couple of new computers. ... Everything around the station needs to be spruced up."
FitzSimmons explained that the station plans to hold one or two fundraising concerts this semester "to recoup our losses."
But despite valiant fundraising efforts, with WXPN's new building set to undergo $15 million worth of renovations this summer, WQHS's future whereabouts are uncertain.
According to FitzSimmons, the campus station would like to move into WXPN's current studio space. However, "designs have been drawn out putting us in the basement of Stouffer," she wrote.
But wherever the station will be housed next year, its DJs and board members will be more careful about station security.
"We have been ... making sure all the DJs remember to lock up, but also taking measures to make the station more safe for our DJs," FitzSimmons wrote.
However, both FitzSimmons and Tang said that the station has "moved on" since the burglary.
"We have a pretty full schedule of DJs this semester and are continually increasing our listenership and support," FitzSimmons wrote. "We haven't heard anything back from the police about any arrests or possible suspects, but there's still hope that the criminals will be caught."
FitzSimmons added that, given its rocky past and current financial state, she would like to see the station receive the attention and support it requires in the future.
"We just hope that perhaps someday we will have the space and equipment that we need as a radio station," she said.
