By Cayley Evans
For Campus Security Manager Lanny Fritz, December was marked by thefts, fire alarms, and medical misfortunes.
One student found his inner Martha this month, deciding to craft his very own parking pass rather than pay for a real one.
“We do get a couple [fake passes] on occasion,” said Fritz. “From a distance they look pretty close to the real thing, but up close you can tell right away.”
Parking Services dealt with the individual.
Fritz advised bookworms to keep an eye on their belongings when studying in the library. Several were victims of a library tower thief, who waited for students to leave their seats for a washroom break before nicking their stuff.
“We didn’t find the person responsible, but recovered most of the belongings,” said Fritz. “The thief would take what they wanted and then dump [the rest of] the belongings in a trash can outside the library.”
Another would-be thief was caught by the surveillance system while checking car doors in one of the university’s lots. Campus Security apprehended the potential car thief and found break-and-enter tools in his possession.
“We had a lot of medical calls,” said Fritz. adding that many of these incidents were sports-related.
One student suffered a dislocated shoulder while playing badminton. Another collapsed during a game of recreational hockey due to a pre-existing medical disorder. A wrestling tournament held on campus resulted in a shoulder injury for one unfortunate twelve-year-old boy.
Campus Security also responded to an accident on campus involving a cyclist and a vehicle. They handled the situation until EMS arrived on scene to transport the victim to hospital. “All we know is that it wasn’t life-threatening,” said Fritz, adding that it was a serious accident.
With students finally free of their first semester, the tail-end of December was marked by rowdy, booze-filled holiday cheer. However, the break also meant fewer students were on campus, and was punctured by only a few minor disturbances. A fire-extinguisher was discharged in residence by an unknown culprit.
“Luckily the fire alarm wasn’t triggered,” said Fritz. “We’re always concerned when people misuse fire safety equipment–that’s what makes this a serious incident.”
“Overall it was a pretty quiet month because of the holiday season,” concluded Fritz.