Laundry Robberies Worry Leverett House Residents

Recent thefts from Leverett House laundry rooms have done more than rob some residents of their favorite pair of jeans—they have prompted the Leverett House Committee to discuss the feasibility of installing swipe card readers at laundry room entrances.

HoCo member Grace E. Bloodwell ’03 said that doing so might lower the incidents of theft.

“With swipe card access, you can tell who came in and at what time, so you can track down anyone,” said Bloodwell, who has twice had a pair of Harvard-issued sweat pants taken over the past month.

“A lot of it comes from confusion, but some of the stuff has just been blatantly taken,” she said. Bloodwell added that the HoCo will eventually approach House officials with the idea.

Leverett’s HoCo first took up the issue last Thursday after Blaise P.C. Huguenin ’03 e-mailed the Leverett House Open list complaining about the theft of his favorite pair of khakis three weeks ago.

House members e-mailed back the list recounting their experiences with theft and asking others to stop stealing. Among the items said to be stolen are relatively distinctive items such as jeans and corduroys, Bloodwell said.

While Huguenin said the thefts are a nuisance, he said they have also impacted house life.

“Leverett is a very friendly place, and it takes that sentiment away when you think that something might be stolen,” he said.

Based on the responses to his e-mail over the House list, Huguenin said there seems to be support for security improvements.

Resident tutor Stuart E. Schechter, who had his laundry basket taken, wrote in an e-mail that he felt “everyone in Leverett will be keeping a somewhat more watchful eye on others using the laundry room. Perhaps this will add a little paranoia to the atmosphere.”

Despite his proffered advice, Schechter said he will not change how he does his laundry because the potential money saved would not be worth the effort.

“I am not going to stop using the laundry room. Nor am I going to attend my laundry during the 100 minute washing/drying process,” he wrote.

Schechter said that House officials have started a survey to determine the extent of losses, although this effort is not specifically directed at deciding whether swipe card readers will be necessary.