The UNA Police Department is investigating several office break-ins that occurred in Keller Hall on Sept. 14.  

The suspect took textbooks totaling in value of approximately $2,420, UNA Police Chief Bob Pastula said.

An officer was dispatched to Keller Hall on Sept. 14 to meet with a professor who was missing textbooks. The professor stated that when he reached his office that morning, his door was ajar. It was soon discovered that other offices had been opened and more textbooks were missing. One professor said that she had locked her office before leaving. An administrative assistant discovered that keys were missing from her desk on Sept. 16, according to the incident report.

There was no sign of forced entry, Pastula said. He also said that although nothing is for sure, it is thought the culprit used keys to get into the offices.

Other faculty members that have offices in Keller are concerned.

“I think it’s a violation of people’s personal privacy,” said Robert Armstrong, a management and marketing professor. “It’s an affront when you think that your private office space can be opened up by somebody else and they go through your materials. It really does impact your view of your own personal privacy of what you’re doing as an educator and as a person working in a work environment.”

Jerome Gafford, an assistant professor of management and marketing, said that it is a shame someone would result to this.

“It’s disheartening,” said Gafford. “There are some people who are willing to work and earn a living for themselves and then there are some who want to steal it from other folks.”

The culprit’s actions affect more than one person, Gafford said.

“Whoever the person is, I just hope they understand that it’s not just one person that they’re impacting here,” said Gafford. “There are actions that can impact everybody on campus. There are better options they can pursue than trying to steal from our university community.”

Some UNA students, like Joe Winters, are surprised at the amount of books stolen.

“To me it is wrong (for) so much money to come up missing,” Winters, a sophomore, said. “Especially whenever you’ve got to put money into the university, but for books to be stolen, especially $2,000 worth, that’s quite a bit.”

Mai Curott-Nguyen, a freshman, said she has a hard time believing the event occurred.

“It’s so surprising to me,” Curott-Nguyen said. “I guess it’s kind of naïve, but all the people that I know just seem so trustworthy.”

Curott-Nguyen also said she thinks of UNA as a safe area.

“I definitely feel like there’s a better community here,” she said. “I’m a freshman. I don’t know that many people, but the people I know seem (to be) really good people. I don’t see people walking around who I would spot as people who would go and steal stuff, especially since around here we’re pretty well taken care of. If you need something, you just ask.”