NICOLE ALBERSTON
Life Editor
Students fell victim to theft when money was stolen from the locker rooms before the first performance of Dance in Flight last on Feb.7. The case is still under investigation and Senior Investigator Ed Young is working with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department in search of the suspect. Only cash was taken from wallets and bags that were left in unsecured lockers rooms behind Smother’s Auditorium.
Money was stolen between 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., from the senior girl’s locker room and boy’s locker room while all of the performers were onstage before the performance. When students returned to the locker rooms after a group warm-up, they noticed their bags had been riffled through and all the money was taken.
“All the wallets had been lifted and the cash had been stolen,” said senior Tiffany Saulnier. “Everyone maybe lost about $10 per person.”
While the suspect has not been identified, several witnesses are aiding in the investigation. One student, junior Erica Wong, encountered the suspect in the senior girl’s locker room while the rest of the group was on stage. Wong described her as a 30-year-old African American female.
“I had gotten there late and I went back to the room to change,” Wong said. “This woman walked in while I was changing and asked to switch quarters for the tampon machine. I thought it was kind of weird because she obviously wasn’t a student. Other students had seen her in the men’s dressing room and she told them she was a security guard.”
All of the locker rooms were left unlocked and unattended while the dancers were warming up on stage even though there are locks on the doors.
While some students may consider the theft a “minor” incident, Pepperdine officials are insuring that “this is a very serious matter,” said director of Public Relations Jerry Derloshon.
“Anytime someone’s personal or university property is taken, it is serious,” Derloshon said. “The person who subjected this crime is facing very serious consequences … and will be criminally charged with an offense. The full weight of the law will be brought down.”
DPS reported to Smother’s Theatre around 7 p.m. and began their investigation of the crime.
“They have done an amazing job,” Saulnier said. “They came immediately to the scene and every subsequential night there was someone patrolling the hallway. “
But not all students are impressed by DPS actions.
“There is not much [DPS] can do,” Wong said. “I don’t blame them. But they are not in any kind of position to find out what’s been stolen. They are not going to find her.”
Dance in Flight’s misfortune is not the first theft this school year. There have been a series of expensive crimes across campus. Between September and October 2007, more than eight laptops were stolen from the cafeteria, library and locked offices. Over winter break, five mini- DV cameras were stolen from the telecommunications area in the Center for Communication and Business totaling more than $15,000.
And recently, money and electronics – including a $600 cell phone and camera – were stolen from the Delta Delta Delta sorority during a rush meeting in the Fireside room. The students had also left their belongings unattended in a side room while they conducted a meeting. All of the bags had been riffled through and cash and electronics were taken.
“People realize that Pepperdine is vulnerable and people off the street can come in and take [whatever they want],” Wong said. “People have free roam.”
Rather than blame outside sources for the problems on campus, Derloshon is looking at the rise in crime rates as a normal pattern for the school.
“I think of [Pepperdine’s crime rate] as a moving graph,” Derloshon said, “nothing I would characterize as consistent. It is rather random. Sometimes [students, faculty and staff] can grow a little laxed. There is a sense of comfort that we should try to remind our selves about.”
While investigators are still looking into the Dance in Flight theft, DPS will be taking extra precautions for security on campus. Students are suggested to put all personal belongings in secured locations and to not leave belongings unattended on campus.
“I don’t carry cash with me anymore, I just carry my cards,” Wong said. “I don’t bring my computer to school anymore and I am a lot more conscious of my belongings at school. You don’t expect it at things like [Dance in Flight].”
02-14-2008