The Index Eutαxia Swzein Dokei
Volume LXXIV, No. 6
February 2013
Haverford, Pennsylvania - haverfordindex.com
Check out the Theft Features on Pages 4 and 5, including a comprehensive list of all reported thefts. Opinion and related news pieces are included as well. Index Staff
Investigative Journalism: Theft Outbreak at Haverford Naturally, the recent rash of thefts from Haverford students is cause for concern. Arjun Dravid ‘15 profiles the situation that has frightened the student body. Arjun Dravid ‘15
Theft. Until this past month it never seemed like a major problem that would strike Haverford. The values and morals embraced by the members of our community have allowed students believe that their belongings were safe, and that no one would ever think to take something that wasn’t rightfully theirs. Theft directly goes against the Honor Code at Haverford, and everything it stands for. This whole problem can be traced back to the huge Episcopal Academy basketball game at home. With over 1,000 people in the gymnasium, it was packed. After the exhilarating game, many students came downstairs to pick up the bags they left their prior to the game. What a few students discovered was that their bags had been taken. It was not just one bag but at least four or five. This led to many students taking to Facebook to ask if anybody knew about the whereabouts of their belongings. Mr. Fifer addressed the issue in an email and in a school assembly the following Monday. That week was when thefts began to skyrocket. Shoes, jackets, laptops, IPhones, and whole bags were taken from a variety of locations. From the rounders to the locker room, people were losing expensive and valuable belongings every day. Students at Haverford took to Facebook to plead with others to search for their belongings. It was clear that theft was becoming a major problem at Haverford. Trying to find out who the thief (or thieves) was, however, proved to be a very difficult task. As Mr. Fifer states, “It is a
nuanced and complicated situation, with over 1,000 people on campus. Mr. Sassu and I are looking at tape of the incident. Obviously after the game the bag area was a high traffic area, and it’s pretty difficult to make sense of the tape because of the number of people in area. We are trying to determine if it was a Haverford student, or a student who attended the game, or a person who came with the intent to take the bags. However at this time there are no leads.” Parents were notified of the situation, and the Lower Merion police department has been called in to look at the tapes as well. Still, at this time there is no culprit for these thefts. Mr. Fifer also voiced that if necessary changes could come to the school “We are obviously open as a school to try to make sure that we minimize the presence of theft. We are looking to increase the presence of public safety at large events, large number of faculty in locker room, and a location where students can lock their bags in large community gathering. Students also need to own the issue, and hold others student accountable. Surveillance can only go so far, if the study body hold other students accountable, and witness other things happening, that would help to curtail theft.” Advisories came together to discuss the topic. Many agreed that if a student witnesses another student in the act of stealing someone else’s belongings, it is their duty to either tell the student to stop or to report it. Having witnesses stand by and not do their part in the community does nothing to help. Another issue that seemed to be stressed was the importance of keeping your belongings safe. Leaving your
Also inside this Issue... Morgan, his family, and football Coach Michael Murphy.
Ms. Dawn Blake
Check out our new sports column, Fords Focus, written by Editor-inChief Manav Khandelwal. This month’s topic: senior commits. On Page 10.
laptop open in a public area, or an iPhone on a desk is irresponsible. If you leave these items in areas where people can take them, then though no one should ever take them, you are leaving yourself susceptible to theft. Students should take every precaution to make sure that their items are not stolen. Write your name on everything, put valuables in your locker, and make sure that you have everything when you leave each class. These actions may be minor, but they go a long way to preventing theft. Mrs. Adele Kasmen believes that the problem lies with the student being irresponsible with their belongings. She says, “Many things that are reported as stolen aren’t stolen. People just lose things, then report them as stolen then find them later. So there aren’t really that many thefts, its just people losing things and finding them. Kids need to be more careful around their belongings and be responsible for them.” Students have very strong opinions on theft at Haverford. Fourth Former Jimmy Boyle, who had his gym bag stolen, says, “I really hate it. Its ridiculous that someone does not care at all what this does to people. All the money I had invested in my stuff stolen so that some kid can sell them to buy his own things. It’s just ridiculous.” Fellow Fourth former Sam Dyer has similar feelings, saying, “It destroys the trust we have with each other in the community. It makes everybody more distrustful which is distracting and unnecessary.” Sixth Former Stewart Denious also agrees with that sentiment. “I think its deplorable, we live in a community where people trust that their fellow students will not take personal belongings that they leave out in the open,” says Denious. “This thief has broken that sacred trust, he is not only a coward but he is the exact opposite of the person we look for in a Haverford gentleman, someone with the basic respect of his fellow students to respect their private property.”
Recently, however, theft has gone down at Haverford. The school provided the upstairs gymnasium classroom as an area where students could keep their bags safely during the Germantown Academy-Haverford basketball game. This proved to be a success as no thefts were reported from that night. Other schools in the area seem to have varying levels of theft at their schools. At Agnes Irwin there seems to be a problem with theft but not a serious one. Mercy O’Malley, a sophomore at Agnes Irwin, says, “I’d say there is theft but it’s not serious. People will take food, money, and school supplies, anything that’s left out. They don’t have boundaries. This happens very often.” At Shipley, however, there does not seem to be any problem with theft. Says sophomore Zach Quayle concerning theft at Shipley, “Well there’s not been an incident with that as long as I’ve been at Shipley; theft isn’t a problem at all.” Baldwin Senior Abby Kate says, “There is an overall sense of trust at Baldwin. Once in a while a laptop goes missing, a textbook disappears, or money is taken from someone’s backpack, but there has been no epidemic of theft lately at Baldwin. Most people still have enough confidence to leave their lockers unlocked and their backpacks unattended. In my last four years, I’ve had one lab notebook go missing, and it was eventually returned.” Theft, overall, is still a major problem at Haverford. When students don’t feel safe at their own school it’s a very serious situation. Whether or not the thief or thieves will be caught is yet to be seen. Whether or not those thieves are even from Haverford is yet to be seen. Students can prevent theft by keeping their belongings in safe places and doing their best to make sure they have all their belongings. If someone witnesses a theft they should either confront the person immediately or tell the school administration.
Politics editor Matt Larson evaluates President Obama’s first term from a liberal standpoint. On Page 13. President Obama (left) with former French President Nicholas Sarkozy (right)..
Sun Times
Article Editorial: Foosball Career Column Theft Incidents Head of Innovation Debate vs Mock Trial Baseball Preview Squash Analysis Alston Wins co-MVP Gun Control/2nd Amend.
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