The issue of safety on campus has entered the forefront after a crime wave involving television theft throughout the Brandeis campus that has been generated in part by a generally lackadaisical attitude about public safety among students, according to Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan. The crime rate here on campus "has been consistent over the years," Callahan said. "This is a very conscientious campus with a minority of concerns." But he was clear that this is no excuse to forget about crime entirely, as there were 163 reported thefts in the 2001-2002 school year, and 158 in 2002-2003.

According to Callahan, on a college campus like Brandeis - where personal assaults are rare - the vast majority of all police problems are either violations of public order, usually constituting drunkenness or theft. The former tend to be solved with a combination of Brandeis police and BEMCo, whereas the latter are cause for more concern.

According to Callahan, "Most thefts are from residence halls," where the perpetrators gain access to the buildings from students. These incidents tend to occur more frequently at the beginning and end of the school year.

Callahan went on to say that security in residence halls tends to be "very cavalier." Callahan urges students to ask for a name or a floor and room number of a student before letting strangers into residence halls.

People who don't belong on campus "tend to stick out like a sore thumb," Callahan said, and if students see suspicious people wandering around late at night, they are encouraged to report them to the Brandeis police.

Callahan said that such attention is particularly important if a suspicious person is seen around "open and sparsely populated buildings," such as the Shapiro Campus Center late at night, as such places become susceptible to theft.

In addition, he said that "(an expensive item like) audio/visual equipment needs to be mobile, so professors can move it from classroom to classroom when they need to." Callahan added that this mobility makes them particularly easy to steal.

"After all," he said, "Brandeis is a college, not a prison camp."

Once theft occurs, it is usually very difficult to catch the culprit. Callahan said that at best, there is a "medium percentage" chance of catching a perpetrator, rendering "prevention and detection" of importance in dealing with thefts. Eyewitness observation is usually all that stands between a victim and the permanent loss of his property.

"Campus security is only as good as the people who participate in it," Callahan said. He felt strongly that student cooperation is key in securing this campus from exploitation by criminals. Only through such measures of caution and vigilance can Brandeis be made more secure.

-By Randolph Brickey