Despite recent trend of thefts, police say nappers aren’t victims
By Jessica Skaggs
While walking down the hallways of the college there are walls cluttered with posters advertising events held on campus, artifacts and artwork showcased for the world to see and then there are the handful of people peppered throughout who are catching some zs.
In light of recent thefts, the campus police department doesn’t associate students sleeping in the college hallways with the increase in stolen items. However crime prevention officer Dan Robles said thefts on campus have been primarily crimes of “opportunity.”
“Laptops, cell phones, purses, wallets and other items of value are often left unattended or unsecure by students,” Robles said. “The thief typically looks for this type of opportunity to steal and can do so when items are left unattended even if it’s for just a minute or two. It just takes seconds to grab an item of value that is left lying on a table or in a hallway or classroom.”
Sleeping in the hallways might not have any correlation with the influx of thefts, but may have a correlation with the college’s perception to those visiting the campus for the first time.
“[When giving tours to prospective students] we just make light of the situation,” said Student Ambassador
Marcela deCarvalho. “We definitely do not encourage the future students to sleep during classes, but we say that if they are tired and have a long break between classes, they are more than welcomed to sleep in an appropriate place on campus.”
Student Paige Prouse considers the common occurrence of sleeping in the hallways to be odd.
“I try not to [sleep there] just ‘cause it’s weird,” she said. “I’ve never understood why people sleep in the hallways. There are far quieter places to sleep.”
She suggests students sleep where there is less of a chance of being disrupted.
“The library is quieter and there’s fewer people who are going to walk by and take photos of you for the JCCC confessions site on Twitter,” Prouse said. “Honestly what we need is a room for sleeping.”
Student Eric Girton, however, thinks sleeping in the hallways to be the standard of college students.
“I think it’s normal,” he said. “I mean I would assume that’s why they have the benches the way that they do. Students just usually lay right here, put their head on their backpack, grab a five – ten minutes before class. I mean I’ve been a student for a long time and every college I’ve ever gone to, students always lay in the hallway.”
Although it is up to the individual to sleep on campus or not, it’s important to keep in mind the college is a public place, and the risk of items being taken only increases if the thief knows his/her victim is unaware.
The best way to avoid items being stolen while on campus is to just not nap between classes.
”My opinion [on sleeping in the hallway] is don’t,” Prouse said. “It’s weird.”
Contact Jessica Skaggs, managing editor, at jskaggs4@jccc.edu.