According to an interview with Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan, five students filed reports of theft in Usen Castle towers B and C early Sunday morning, and a possible suspect has been described as a male, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds who was wearing a dark knit cap and a grey hooded sweatshirt.In a phone interview with the Justice, Callahan explained that the thefts took place between 3 and 8 a.m. Four students had items taken from their rooms while a fifth student, who was awake studying for an exam, only witnessed the suspect attempt to enter her room but leave instead.

In an interview with the Justice, Harrison Goldpsiel '13 and Ben Crown '13, who are roommates in the Castle, said they both had items stolen.

"I woke up at 10 and realized my alarm and my phone didn't go off, and I realized something was wrong," explained Goldspiel in an interview with the Justice. He said that his phone, PlayStation Portable, phone, backpack and iPod were all stolen Sunday morning and that his laptop, which was locked to the desk, had been unplugged and moved around the desk.

Crown stated that he had $1,000 worth of electronics stolen from his room, including his laptop, PlayStation 3 and assorted video games, as well as his wallet.

Jacob Moore '13 wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that his wallet was stolen.

"I keep my laptop and ipod [sic] and phone close to me when I sleep, but my wallet stays on my desk on the other side of the room, so I'm guessing that's all they took cause [sic] they didn't want to wake me up," he wrote.

Alyssa Moore '13, another resident of the castle, said that her cell phone was stolen and that she had witnessed the suspect in her room in the middle of the night.

"At 3:15 a.m., I woke up and saw a tall, skinny guy wearing a zip-up sweatshirt with his hood on standing in my doorway, with the door wide opened, shining a flashlight into my room," she wrote. She further explained that although her drawers had been opened and her backpack had been searched, her phone was the only item missing from her room.

The fifth student to file a report, who wishes to remain anonymous out of concern for her safety, wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that she was studying for a midterm at 5:30 a.m. when a "tall, skinny, creepy young man" walked into her room. When she asked who he was, he said that he was just curious who lived in the room and then left.

"It just seemed that he made a mistake and thought we were people he knew," she wrote.

Callahan explained that University Police found a propped-open fire escape door, which may have been the mode of entry for the culprit.

Callahan said that as a result of this incident, the Department of Public Safety is emphasizing that students take extra precautionary measures and is encouraging them to lock their doors.

"Every single room had a common denominator, and that was students leaving their doors unlocked," Callahan said.

Callahan explained that the crimes that occured in the castle were "crimes of opportunity."

"Don't compromise doors, don't let anybody else into residence halls, let yourself in and let anyone else use their own key if you don't know them," he advised. He explained that if a suspect is named, the Department of Public Safety will be in touch with community advisors and community development coordinators.

According to the University Police Log, two other thefts also occurred in the past week.

The Police Log stated that a student's identification card and room key were stolen from the Village fitness center, and a student's unattended backpack was stolen from Goldfarb Library.

Callahan said that it is unlikely that those thefts were related to the larceny in the Castle, but Public Safety is investigating them.

"We're looking at some videotape on those locations to see if we can come up with a suspect for those locations," said Callahan.

Senior Director of the Department of Community Living Jeremy Leiferman also sent out an e-mail to community development coordinatorss to be distributed to all resident students, reminding them to be aware of their surroundings at all times, lock residence doors when away or sleeping, not let strangers into residence halls and not leave valuables out in the open, but at press time not all students had received this e-mail.

Goldspiel said he would consequently take more precaution with his belongings on campus.

"I never lock my door while I'm sleeping or in the bathroom because I just never think of it. I've always thought of Brandeis as a safe, friendly campus. Though I still think of it as a safe place, I'll definitely be more cautious in the future and lock my door when I'm asleep," he wrote.





-Alana Abramson contributed reporting.