From Manon Lefèvre ’14:
It was discovered this weekend that one of WILD Wes’ locked storage structures has been vandalized and some tools stolen. Members of WILD Wes are very concerned and upset at this vandalism and ask that whoever stole the tools please return them from the place they were taken (with amnesty), as they are desperately needed. If you have any information on the whereabouts of the missing tools, please contact Manon Lefèvre at mlefevre[at]wesleyan[dot]edu.
Yesterday, John Meerts, Wesleyan’s VP for Finance and Administration, sent an all-campus email with some sobering news, informing the community that an officer with Wesleyan’s Public Safety Department had been arrested for theft.
I spoke with Dave Meyer, Director of Public Safety, yesterday afternoon to clarify the situation, though our conversation was limited by the ongoing criminal investigation.
Meyer reported that he received information before Christmas regarding the thefts. Coordinating with the Middletown Police Department, Wesleyan began an investigation within two days that resulted in the recovery of a number of stolen items, at which point Wesleyan again contacted the police to have the individual arrested. The stolen items themselves—reported to be electronics and cameras—have so far consisted solely of administrative equipment, though there is the possibility that student property may be among the as-yet-unidentified possessions.
Declining to discuss the particulars of the tip or the discovery of the stolen material, Meyer stated that though the investigation was conducted internally, the school worked closely with the police department throughout.
Vassar has found itself embroiled in quite the legal morass(…er) — now that you’ve been sufficiently nauseated by that, you might be interested to learn of the comparably reproachable actions of former Vassar employee Arthur Fisher and his wife, Jennifer Fisher, who were arrested last Friday in connection with the embezzlement of approximately $1.9 million from Vassar College.
The good people of Mads Vassar have provided excellent coverage of the developing legal situation so far. For those of you not inclined to venture far afield in the blogosphere, here are the central details of the case:
pretense of funding a nonexistent project over the course of his five year tenure, which concluded last December.Links to further reportage (Washington Post, Huffington Post, Poughkeepsie Journal, Associated Press) can be found here.
[Photos credited to the Poughkeepsie Journal]
The university community was already floored by the sudden disappearance of a table from PAC 002 earlier this week. Now, anonymous furniture tycoons have also struck in the Usdan University Center:
Good lord. The tables have turned–from our beloved, sushi-holding roundish grey things to cold, heartless, elongated fold-out monsters.
Still no word on the missing PAC table; we’ll keep you updated.
Still no word from the administration on the status of the missing table from PAC 002, although Wesleying has heard a number of unconfirmed rumors that the table has been found. One brave pseudonymous commenter posting as “culprit” owned up to the deed:
i helped someone move the table from PAC 002 into PAC 001 on thursday at like 8:00 for a lecture or something of the sort. there’s a table in PAC 002 now, so i assume they found it.
False confession or truthful owning-up? Analysts doubting “culprit’s” veracity have pointed to hir spotty use of capitalization as evidence of foul play. No one knows for sure.
I can confirm the presence of a table in PAC 002 as of this afternoon. But who knows whether it was the original, rightful console or an emergency replacement? The possibility of theft is not off the table.
Since this morning’s campus-wide email, we haven’t received more official news of the status of PAC’s missing table. This is a dire situation. That table really tied the room together, and without it there’s a serious dearth of surface, according to the administration:
The table is essential for the instructors using the room, as there is no other surface on which to place their books, papers or the lectern. … Our suspicion is that it might have been borrowed by a student or group of students, perhaps for a Halloween party.
Essential though Halloween beirut tournaments are, ECON 110 can’t have lecture notes lying all over the floor. We’re waiting with bated breath for the table to, ahem, resurface.
If you haven’t seen your email yet, a table was stolen from PAC. On a personal note, this tragedy absolutely slays me and I have to wonder why the Wesleyan public isn’t more alarmed.
Not to strike significant fear into those living with plants, but… Save your Significant Others, Children, and Wildlife.
Fran Koerting, Director of Residential Life, recently sent out an email to all ResLife Staff(@lyris.wesleyan.edu) to be on the lookout for a plant and plant thief. While I am completely unrelated to ResLife, and so sadly was not a recipient, I felt like sharing it…
“The Usdan University Center has had a second plant stolen this year. If a plant that matches this description should show up in one of the student residences, please let us know. Thanks for your help.
According to Frank Marselli [Facility and Events Manager for the Usdan Center, whose name is actually spelled “Marsilli”], It is a 6’ Mass Cane plant in a Golden Bronze fiberglass container. The plant itself has four large bark covered stems. From only the top portions of each stem emerge several tufts of large green leaves. It was taken from the Gregory Family Lounge area on the first floor of Usdan. It was here on Friday, but not here this morning. The plant’s value was $145, and the container’s cost was $95.”
Rumor has it the plant was approached in its residence by several people wearing hoodies. Be on the lookout for groups of people in hoodies carrying their 6-foot tall, hoodie-wearing, camouflaged “friend” around campus; they may be costing you and 239 of your Facebook-friends $1 each in tuition. As if the upcoming GRS process wasn’t enough for ResLife to worry us about…
Again:
What: Burglary/Theft
When: Last weekend, between Friday, April 3rd and Monday, April 6th
Where: Usdan – Gregory Family Lounge area
For real though: People stole two large plants out of Usdan without anybody noticing. Not to overreact, but let this remind you that you should report it to p-safe if you see this sort of theft (or fkoerting@wes if it is this plant) and you should look out for your own stuff; while odds are high that nobody is going to try to steal your Bonsai Tree, remember that we don’t have constant surveillance and clean break-ins can happen.
And (assuming it isn’t part of well-executed and worthwhile prank), try to keep your Usdan thefts to silverware and the occasional chair.
Some jerk stole the large framed “What’s Up? South!” map off the wall outside the offices by the Butterfield B bridge over the weekend. What would a klepto-vandal even do with this thing? It’s been up there for years doing the humble service of reorienting the spatial perception of passersby, and now it’s going to be stuck in someone’s bedroom?
Apparently the map is also part of an important tradition for international students in which each new student puts a sticker indicating where they’re from on the map during orientation, and the last time I saw it the map was riddled with them.
If you’ve got any info about its whereabouts, email the Butterfields Area Coordinator at smbrown@wesleyan.edu (especially if you live in Butt B, since you might end up getting billed for its replacement if it’s not found).
For the past week or so, my bike, an admittedly shitty early 80’s Huffy Strider, has been lying on its side (Yes! In the rain!), with the front tire chained to the bike rack outside of the Science Center. Today as I was walking to class, I noticed that someone had:
1. Unlocked my bike from the rack
2. Placed it securely into the rack
3. Locked it again.
How awesome/weird is that?! Goes to show that there are at least some good samaritans. Who just happen to know how to pick bicycle locks.
