Over 100 Syracuse University students report belongings stolen from dorms during coronavirus shutdown
12 September 2015: A general campus view of Syracuse University during NCAA football game between Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY. (Photo by Jerome Davis/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Get
NEW YORK - Over 100 students at Syracuse University said that items were taken from their dorm rooms after the school began remote learning in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The school said in a press release on Friday that when students returned to campus to retrieve their belongings in May, many reported missing or misplaced items from their rooms.
“To assist our students, we identified staff members and contractors who could assist with cleaning spaces and packing, storing, and shipping students’ belongings,” the press release said. “Disappointingly, it appears that some of the very individuals we trusted with this task — those who had key access to the rooms — are likely responsible for the thefts and missing items. It is clear we failed to have the proper processes, procedures and protocols in place at the time to support this effort. We apologize for the added stress this failure has created for our students and their families.”
The school announced that it will be putting new procedures in place for the fall semester to protect student’s belongings, including installing new cameras in elevators, stairwells and the common areas of all residents halls, restricting access to main desks and residence hall store spaces, and having law enforcement perform regular property checks to ensure that dorm rooms are secure.
The school said that its Department of Public Safety and the Syracuse Police Department is actively investigating the missing belongings and that they are developing plans for additional security and storage for students before the Fall 2020 semester begins.