[kokosas]

Protecting your Property On Campus and Off

By SABRINA BRADEY, MACINSIDERS

Living on campus is a big deal for many first years. It's a new experience and a new independence. But with that independence comes some responsibility. Suddenly you're living in a huge building with a couple hundred other students whom you don't know and most likely a room mate whom you don't know either! What do you do to protect your gear? Here are some helpful hints at keeping your stuff safe in residence and on campus:

On Campus:
1. Obtain a lock for your laptop:
Whether it's a typical Kingston laptop lock or a heavy duty STOP Lock you should have a lock for your laptop. This ensures that you can lock it up at the library, in the Student Center, in your room or anywhere on campus that you may be. Having a lock for your laptop is essential.

2. Always lock your doors and never give out your keys:
Things can still be stolen even when they're in your room. Often times students leave their doors unlocked as they go to the bathroom to have a shower or to visit a friend down the hall. This is a very stupid idea. A word that you will become familiar with in residence is the term "tail gating" which is when a person follows a student into their residence without using their own key access card. Even if the person lives there they should be using their card because in bigger residences you won't always know who lives there and who doesn't. People who just wander into the residences may try the doors for one that is unlocked. Having your property locked even when it's inside the room and you're not there is a good way to prevent it from 'taking a walk' so to speak.

3. Use lockable boxes/cabinets to lock your valuables:
As a general rule you shouldn't be bringing too many valuables to school, it's just unwise. Keep it to what you need. If you must insist on bringing things like game systems and the like bring something that you can lock them up in. Depending on your room size some good ideas are single lockers (yes this happens, the girl who lived above me in residence had a locker in her room, it was rather convenient for her) or small filing cabinets. Some students will put their laptops, game systems, portable DVD players etc in these as a means of ensuring that they are still there when they come home from a weekend away.


4. Report anything lost or stolen immediately:
If you lose your keys to your residence report it immediately. You will be given a 2-3 grace period to find them before you are charged. Housing needs to know that the keys are missing in case someone tries to use your key access card. If you do not report that they are missing you are responsible for anything that happens with those keys.
If anything is ever taken from your room report it to McMaster Security Services as soon as you realize it's been stolen and isn't lost. The sooner Security knows, the easier it will be for them to find and return it to you. The longer you wait, the harder it will be.

Off Campus:
Amongst the myriad of things you should be looking for when house hunting there are some safety features you should also look into.

1. Windows and Doors:
Make sure that all your windows have working locks on them and that they close properly. Ensure that your doors also close and lock efficiently, you should not have to fight with your door to get it open or closed. Always make sure that you close your windows when you're not going to be home.

2. Alarm systems: It's a rarity to find a student house with an alarm system but there are smaller alarms that you can invest in (or get your landlord to pay for if you intend on leaving them there) that detect motion in their area. For instance: I have a motion detector alarm by our front door and I turn it on at night when I know everyone is home for the night. If someone opens the door it will go off, loud enough to wake everyone on the first floor and sometimes those in the basement.

3. Locks for your bedroom door:
Even if you're living in a house with your friends you should get a lock on your door. This isn't to say you shouldn't trust your friends but it's a safety precaution especially if you are away for the weekend. You can't always ensure that your housemates are going to lock doors and windows when you're not around, at least you can know that your bedroom windows are locked and so is your door, therefore you stuff is a bit safer.

4. Use lockable boxes/cabinets to lock your valuables:
Like with residence you should use lockers or filing cabinets to lock your valuables when you're away. Filing cabinets come in handy often with students as a storage area for old tests, books, essays/assignments and for bills and records. Something that you're going to get used to getting is your monthly bills and sometimes bank statements. Having a filing cabinet makes it easier to keep track of where your expenses are going, that way when your parents ask for your pay stubs, school expenses receipts and the like for taxes you'll know exactly where they are.

As a general rule students are often hard up for cash. It's not called the "student budget" for nothing. Some of these precautions might seem a bit over the top for you, but when all of your money is tied up in school you cannot afford to replace a laptop, or a TV, or even some jewellery. It's best to be safe rather than sorry.

[MacEng]

Great article!

Any recommendations on where to buy cheap storage cabinets?

[KaylaMarie]

You can probably find cheap storage units at places like Wal-mart and Canadian Tire...Ikea is great too, but seems to be a little pricey (which is not what I expected). Does anyone know where to find the personal locker storage units? I've searched all over the net and have only found one model and it was almost $300 :S

[temara.brown]

My friend JUST had his bike stolen after visiting for only 1/2 an hour. It wasn't locked up but it was on the side of the house in complete darkness.. and we live in the Ainslewood area! Not thaaat sketchy!! WTF! WHO DOES THAT?!?

[lorend]

I actually know lots of people who've had bikes stolen from residential areas in and around campus. Many not in areas where there is lots of student housing.

[daisy]

Does anyone know if a 2-drawer filing cabinet would fit into a double room in Hedden?

[Maegs]

Bikes are something that's easy to steal and then resell, make sure you lock them up! I've had bikes stolen out of our garage before at home (in a small-ish town, too)