Students' Property Stolen in Lowell House Larcenies

More than $100 of students' property was stolen from Lowell House in the past two weeks in two separate thefts, according to Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) spokesperson Peggy McNamara.

Eighty dollars disappeared from a jewelry box in Lowell House's D-entryway on Feb. 28, McNamara said.

The larceny was reported at 3:33 p.m., but McNamara said the crime is believed to have taken place anytime between Feb. 24 and Feb. 28.

Nothing else is believed to have been stolen, she said.

Three days later on March 3, another student reported a missing briefcase at 10:35 a.m.

The student had left the briefcase unattended in the dining hall the day before at 2:45 p.m., according to McNamara.

When he returned at 6:30 p.m., the briefcase was missing.

The two incidents remain under investigation and were probably committed by different individuals, McNamara said.

"The pattern doesn't indicate they're related," she said. "It's a different type of larceny pattern we're looking at."

These incidents are just two of several burglaries and robberies that have already taken place this month.

At midnight Sunday morning, police responded to a distress call of an undergraduate student, who said he was robbed outside the Barker Center. The preceding week, a business school student was robbed at gunpoint while crossing a footbridge over the Charles River.

And on Feb. 26, an Adams House senior exiting the shower surprised a thief in the process of dismantling his roommate's stereo. A television set was stolen from an adjoining room that night.

But despite the trend, Lowell House Master William H. Bossert '59 said the most recent thefts are not indicative of a new security threat.

"It's just a continuing problem," Bossert said.

Lowell House resident Alex M. Hurst '99 agreed the thefts were nothing unusual.

"I remember hearing about one or two last year," Hurst said. "But I would say it's not that common."

But the thefts concern Bossert and Co-Master Mary L. Bossert, as well as Senior Tutor Eugene C. McAfee. They sent an e-mail message to Lowell residents Monday, warning students to lock their doors and avoid leaving valuables unattended.

"We are just still very concerned about thefts in the house and that is the main thing," Bossert said.

Students, however, do not seem worried about the problem. Most said they do not plan to take any special precautions.

"We always keep our door locked and we live on the third floor, so we haven't really been concerned," Hurst said.

Mira S. Burghardt '98 echoed Hurst's sentiments, but said the thefts are making her a little more cautious.

"I always lock my doors anyway, so I'm not so worried," Burghardt said. "In general I'm just watching where I put my stuff."

But Joydip Kundu '99 said fellow House residents should be especially concerned about leaving their belongings unattended near the dining hall.

"It's not so much being worried about what was stolen from our rooms," Kundu said. "It's being worried about what's stolen from out there, in front of the dining hall. People leave their backpacks and stuff there."

According to a report issued by the Cambridge Police Department two weeks ago, city crime rates fell to their lowest level in 35 years in 1997.