Break-In at Visual Arts Leaves Lab Short Three Computers

By Lisa Martin

lisamartin.562@gmail.com

Three iMac computers were stolen from the Visual Arts building at Ocean Campus last week when the building’s lab was broken into sometime after classes ended on Tuesday Sept. 24 and before faculty arrived on Wednesday Sept. 25. 

The lab in room 143 is connected to other classrooms and faculty offices in addition to its entrance from the main hall. The thief or thieves broke the glass on the door of room 142 and made their way to the lab through the attached classroom. 

The break-in was discovered Wednesday morning by a student who had arrived early for Professor Tim Harrington’s Graphic Design II class. The student alerted a faculty member who reached out to campus police, and officers then arrived shortly before 9 a.m.

The loss of the three computers has affected some students taking classes in the computer lab. Professor Harrington believes the department was already underequipped, and that their student to computer ratio was already at maximum capacity. 

Some of Harrington’s students are bringing their own computers to his classes now to make up for the lost computers.

Lorraine Leber, Chair of the Visual Media Design Department, said that she was working with her dean and IT Services to replace the computers as quickly as possible. 

Currently, five Visual Media Design classes are held in the computer lab 143 and the space is also being used for Open Lab hours on Thursday mornings.