New Measures to Ensure Security at Residence Halls

Dear Students and Families:

Last month, when students and families returned to campus to retrieve belongings from residence halls, more than 100 students reported missing or misplaced items from their rooms. The items were left behind when the University quickly transitioned from residential to online learning in mid-March due to the global pandemic. To assist our students, we identified staff members and contractors who could assist with cleaning spaces and packing, storing and shipping students’ belongings.

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.

Our Department of Public Safety and the Syracuse Police Department are actively investigating the missing belongings and those found responsible for the thefts will be held accountable. While these investigations continue, and as we prepare our campus for the fall 2020 move-in process, we want you to be aware of additional measures we are taking to ensure the security of our residence halls.

The new measures include:

• Officers continue to perform regular property checks to ensure that room doors are secure.
• New cameras are being installed in elevators, stairwells and first-floor common areas of all residence halls.
• Access to main desks and residence hall storage spaces is now restricted.
• Students who took no action to retrieve or secure their belongings are being notified via email, phone and letter that their belongings must be retrieved by Monday, July 27, or they will be considered abandoned.
• As we prepare for students to arrive on campus for the fall semester, we anticipate a larger volume of shipped belongings. We are currently developing plans for added security and storage options for fall arrival and will share additional information about shipping soon.

We will continue to review and strengthen our processes and procedures and communicate any additional guidance ahead of move in. We look forward to welcoming our students back to campus and are happy to assist you any way we can. We encourage anyone with questions, concerns or feedback to contact us at dpsadmin@syr.edu.

Sincerely,

Robert Hradsky, Vice President for the Student Experience
Bobby Maldonado, Chief of the Department of Public Safety