Stolen cash and a few missing DVDs prompted officials to send an e-mail yesterday morning warning about a potential rash of theft in Riepe College House.
The e-mail, sent by House Coordinator Huong Tansey, noted "a series of theft in students' rooms throughout the Quad and on campus."
It was based on two isolated reports in Riepe and was "just an attempt to get people to get a heads up," House Dean Marilynne Diggs-Thompson said.
The incidents were reported by one student who had an unspecified amount of cash stolen from his unlocked dorm room and another who noticed several DVDs missing from a collection in his room.
House officials said they do not know the identity of the perpetrators and do not know if the events are related. Diggs-Thompson said most dorm-room thefts are committed by individuals close to the victims.
The e-mail's strong wording caused alarm for some students, but Diggs-Thompson said the wording was used as a preventative measure in case there were individuals trying to take advantage of students who left their doors unlocked on Halloween.
Some students like Kumar Chatterjee, a College freshman, were unfazed by its tone.
"I hadn't heard about any theft before getting the e-mail," he said.
Faculty also generally brushed aside the report.
"If it appeared that it would really threaten the community, I would probably have been told before students got an e-mail," said Nathan Smith, house dean for Ware College House.
Division of Public Safety officials did not comment on the specific incidents or the alert, as the e-mail did not come from DPS.
But Vice President for Public Safety stressed once again that theft caused by students leaving their doors unlocked or their belongings unattended has become an increasingly important issue.
