New security cameras have been installed on the ninth floor of the Auditorium building near the lockers, entrances and hallways after six cases of theft were reported during the Spring 2010 semester. From January until April, 18 thefts were reported in the Auditorium and Gage buildings.
"We expect that [the cameras] will have an immediate impact," Maureen Froncek, director of campus security and transportation, said.
No one has been charged in relation to any of the thefts. "We assume it was a person with access to that area, not an outsider," Froncek said.
Froncek said the school plans on installing more cameras on campus, specifically in the parking lot on the Robin Campus and in computer labs.
Froncek also said her goal is to have many more cameras installed in several campus buildings.
During the summer, a faculty member who wished to remain anonymous discovered an intruder in their office after leaving for a brief moment. The faculty member called security, at which point the individual ran and the faculty member pursued after them for a brief moment until security arrived minutes later.
Froncek said the school reported the incident to the Chicago Police Department and provided it with photos taken from security cameras.
"We know what the individual looks like," Froncek said.
No one has been arrested or questioned relating to the incident, but information and a description were passed on to surrounding businesses and schools.
"Sometimes, if it is a repeat offender, that is how they get caught, because we've been communicating with our community," Froncek said.
New security programs have been started for the new semester, including the Campus Intervention and Response Team. That organization is designed to allow students, faculty and employees to report any change in behavior of students or university officials and faculty that might concern others.
"The purpose of the committee is to offer assistance to that person," Froncek said. "We want to look at the concerns, and if they're valid concerns, we want to offer that person help to prevent any situations from escalating or even happening."
Froncek also said individuals who want to report any suspicious attitudes can choose to be anonymous.
Froncek said the university plans to have a sexual assault prevention session at the Robin Campus that will be open to 35 to 50 participants, male or female. According to Froncek, the sessions will be run by two women who have spent time working for the Chicago Police Department in the sexual crime unit.
"They have tremendous experience and are able to communicate that experience much more effectively than somebody that doesn't have the training or background in that area," she said.
Froncek said there has been difficulty funding the sessions, so she proposed that other departments help in paying for it. She said eventually there will be a session in Chicago.
University students still have other options. On Sept. 22, Columbia College will offer a self-defense session that is open to Roosevelt students. The program will be ongoing throughout the semester.
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