Burglar Hits Cabot House Suite

A Cabot House suite in D-entryway was burglarized Tuesday afternoon, marking the fourth break-in the House has seen this semester.

Two of the room’s residents, who did not want their names printed, said that nothing was removed from their room but that papers and books were strewn on the floor, food was spilled, and drawers had been rummaged through. The recycling bins were also emptied onto the floor.

Though her wallet had been dropped on the ground, nothing was taken from it, according to the resident who first arrived at the room after the break-in. She immediately contacted the building manager and the Harvard University Police Department.

“Our room is generally pretty neat,” she said, “so it was a huge shock to see our rooms trashed like that.”

She added that the blinds, which had been up to let sunlight in, were pulled down.

The resident had returned to her suite after class around 4:00 p.m. but said that the break-in could have occurred any time during the day.

Normally, she said, the roommates prop open the doors with a hanger, as many students do, but they make sure to lock the door upon leaving.

“We’re definitely not leaving the door open like that ever again,” she said.

But she added that the fire door in their suite used to be unlocked and unalarmed before the break-in, and the roommates have at times used it as an entrance.

After the break-in, the Cabot locksmith changed the locks and gave the roommates new keys. The fire door alarm was also reset.

Another roommate suggested a need for a tighter security system. She said she had visited Columbia University over Thanksgiving break and said that its “security was much more intense.” She noted that security guards were posted at every entrance and that students needed to verify their ID in order to gain entrance into the dorms.

“This definitely wouldn’t have happened at Columbia,” she said, describing the break-in as “bewildering.”

The first roommate said she believes student piggybacking is contributing to the crimes this semester.

“At other schools, one swipe is entrance for one person. At Harvard, there’s no one watching when students swipe in, so one ID could admit three or four people,” she said.

HUPD officers responded to the call at 4:18 p.m., according to the department’s police log.