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Even though few traces of criminal behavior were present shortly afterward, the Brown Lupton Campus Center was vandalized and burglarized in the early morning hours of Aug. 31.
According to a police report by the Fort Worth Police Department, security guard Leonard Peterson called police after noticing damaged and stolen property while making his morning rounds. Police were dispatched at 6:30 a.m.
Although the police report initially listed approximately $5,000 in damages, the amount required to repair and replace everything exceeded $10,000, according to a statement released by security.
"There was severe property damage done – hinges were taken off [there was] damage to the doors that secure the snacks, cash registers were completely demolished, and several items were stolen," according to the written statement. "The loft area upstairs was tampered with; however, the burglar was unsuccessful in retrieving the flat screen TV."
"They took some cash and stole all of the candy, which is kind of odd," said Christine Tham, student manager of the center.
The police report indicated that $200 in miscellaneous candy and soap powder was stolen. New locks were installed and cabinets rebuilt, Tham said, and the store reopened for business a day and half later, she said.
The police report states that the area was searched for fingerprints, but none were found. The report records no signs of forced entry, but does say that a security guard making his rounds the night before found the building locked and secure.
One member of a campus sorority said she encountered questions from security.
"Gamma Phi Beta was having a recruitment practice for rush next week," said Rebecca Moore, sophomore English major and member of the sorority. "And we called security to lock it up, and they never showed up, and they had left the SUB open. We didn’t even go out the SUB door, but now they’re trying to blame it on us."
Two student center employees said they were told to remain "hush-hush" about the break in and preferred not to speak.
"It looks bad on campus, which is why no one talks about it," Moore said. "It looks bad and transfers to the students and it makes less people want to come here."
Bill Bleibdrey, senior vice president of finance, said although there is always room for improvement, the crime at Wesleyan is no worse than other schools.
"Our campus statistics are as good as any other schools’ in the Metroplex," he said.
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