Protecting Your Property: A Guide for the MSU Campus Community

1. Protecting Your Property:A Guide for the MSU Campus Community

2. Living in a college community, or as part of a college campus community, can be one of the most rewarding and fun experiences of your life. In order to make your MSU university experience as trouble free as possible, the MSU Security Department would like to provide you with some basic information that will keep your education costs down…by helping to keep your personal property protected.

3. Count the Cost The cost of tuition always seems to be increasing, and it takes a lot of work and effort on your part to cover these costs. We all know that money doesn’t appear like magic. You have worked hard to gather the resources to pay tuition, buy necessities, and purchase the things that you are bringing with you to MSU. So, it is a worth while investment of your time to take a few minutes to protect your property?

4. We usually believe that the dreaded “unthinkable” will never happen to us. Sometimes we just forget how much work we went through just to accumulate those hard-earned dollars. If we had to count the number of grouchy bosses, angry customers, and long hours that we have worked, we would probably just put everything we own behind an electric fence.

5. Let’s take a look at it from a college student’s perspective. If your laptop computer is stolen, the average MSU college student will need to work more than 200 hours at a local part-time job to recover the cost. That’s 10 weeks of work!! We know that isn’t possible. However, taking a few precautions to protect our personal property won’t seem hard at all compared toallthe work ittook to own your property.

6. If that isn’t convincing, let’s look at it as if we’re the typical student trying to plan for the future . The money that is spent on that replacement computer would pay for 230 pizzas , 420 foot long sandwiches, or two spring break trips to Florida.

7. Now that we have shown that the effort has a big pay off, let’s take a look at the potential for problems and focus on some ways to protect your property

8. How safe is your property at MSU? Although nobody can accurately predict the future, the best indicator of future activity is past performance. The safety of your property at MSU will depend, in large part, on your preparation, effort, and diligence. However, general crime statistics can shed some light on the safety of personal property while attending college.

9. The most recent crime statistics for a typical Minnesota suburban community, with a population similar to the MSU campus community, show: • 115 Burglaries (422.9 per 100,000) • 981 Property thefts (3607.1 per 100,000) • 97 Auto thefts (356.7 per 100,000)

10. For a typical Minnesota commuter community with a population similar to the MSU campus community, the most recent crime statistics show: • 113 Burglaries (673.3 per 100,000) • 626 Property thefts (3730.2 per 100,000) • 25 Auto thefts (149.0 per 100,000)

11. For a typical Minnesota rural community (near Mankato) with population similar to MSU, the most recent crime statistics show: • 200 Burglaries (873.7 per 100,000) • 558 Property thefts (2437.6 per 100,000) • 36 Auto thefts (157.3 per 100,000)

12. At a Minnesota college, a year of property crimes would make even Mayberry seem like a hub for criminals. A typical MnSCU school would have only: • 15 Burglaries (93.75 per 100,000) • 68 Property thefts (425.0 per 100,000) • 2 Auto thefts (12.5 per 100,000) …But, as Barney would say, you can, “Nip it in the bud!”

13. Preventing a theft is easier than catching a thief. Protecting your personal property begins before you arrive at MSU. Here is a list of things that you can do prior to arriving on campus that will help you better protect your property: • Make a list of your property. • The list should include make, model, color, and serial numbers. • Make sure to bring your list with you, and leave a copy with your parents or another relative. • Check on your insurance coverage.

14. Have your insurance agent’s telephone number. • Register your computer with a technology tracking service (if affordable). • Protect your property with the “Operation Identification Program”, available through your local law enforcement agency or through the MSU Security Department. • Have an adequate number of quality locks to secure your property. • Be sure you have at least two keys for every lock.

15. Your preparation is important…but, you’re not done yet. You still have things to do when you arrive…things that are equally important to the security of your property. These actions may sound like common sense precautions, and they are, but you can bet that there are people hoping that you don’t have much common sense!

16. When you settle into your school year residence, here are some things to remember: • Never open exterior doors of your building to strangers or non-residents. • Always escort your guests to and from the main entrance doors. • Restrict access to your room to people who are trusted (and remember that trust is earned…not bestowed).

17. Never leave your room or apartment door unlocked when you leave…even if you plan to be gone for only a minute!. It takes less than 10 seconds to steal thousands of dollars of expensive property (e.g. computers, stereos, jewelry, etc.) from an open, unattended room or apartment. • Keep your property list, and other important personal papers in a locked box that is kept in a secured location.

18. Do not keep large amounts of cash in your room. • Never leave cash or jewelry in plain sight. • Be sure your wallet, purse, or money it is out of sight and in a secured location. • Personal property, especially electronic property, should never be left unattended. Take these items with you or secure them before leaving.

19. Keep track of your blank checks. Never leave them in an unsecured location. The theft of a single check can go undetected until your next bank statement reveals a forgery. • If you have a bicycle, always lock it with a hardened lock and park it where you can keep an eye on it. • Do not leave your bicycle unmoved for extended periods of time.

20. Your computer is one of your major college investments…be sure to take the time to protect that investment! If your computer is stolen, so are your saved files, term papers, homework, and notes. The loss of some of these documents will create more hardship than the loss of the computer itself.

21. Park your car, when possible, in a well lit area that is not secluded from public view. Never leave your keys in your car. Always lock your doors. Another major investment that needs to be protected is your automobile…and protecting it is easier than you think.

22. Never leave property in plain view in the car. Take it with you, or put it in the trunk. • Remove stereo/electronic equipment from the car when possible. • Be aware of people loitering in the area, and report your suspicions to MSU Security (if on campus) or the police. • Do not hide a spare key on the outside of the car.

23. Above all else, BE INVOLVED IN YOUR CAMPUS COMMUNITY! MSU Security will do all that it possibly can to protect you and your property…but we cannot do it alone. Local law enforcement departments have proven that community watch programs can be effective when citizens become involved. You and your fellow students are not only the minds and hearts of MSU…you are also the eyes and ears. BE INVOLVED! Report any suspicious activity to MSU Security immediately.

24. By applying these simple, common sense actions to your daily activity, the Security Department at MSU is confident that your property will be safe, and that your college experience at MSU will be some of the most rewarding time of your life.