The words thief, burglar or criminal do not come to mind when referring to the typical Fieldston student. Fieldston is recognized as a safe, supportive, intellectual and friendly environment. Recently, many students are feeling the opposite. The gym locker room, a place where many students convene after school for practice, PM Fitness or to scrimmage on the field with friends, has developed a high risk reputation for theft. Pieces of loose clothing line the floors and issue out the sides of the bulging orange lockers that line the girl’s locker room. In the past, students felt safe leaving their belongings in a scattered fashion with no locks needed, but more recently, they are purchasing locks to keep their belongings out of the hands of the “locker room thieves.”
One wintery afternoon on the first day of PM fitness, I fell prey to the false sense of security that often pervades Fieldston. I entered the locker room and then realized that I had forgotten the combination to the lock I had fastened to an empty locker at the beginning of the school year. I assumed my belongings would be safe as long as they were secure in one of our bright orange Fieldston lockers. When I returned to the locker room, I found that my jacket was missing from its perch atop the hook inside the locker I left it in just one hour before. Not only was I furious, but I was shocked. The idea that something could be stolen in this community never crossed my mind. I brought the issue to the coaches who were supervising the fitness room that afternoon. They instructed me to contact security. My search was in vain, as I soon realized security did not have it, the coat was not in the lost and found, and I received no responses to the email I sent to the entire school community school about my “missing winter coat.” I know that I am not alone in my frustrations about the locker room snatchings.
Livi Spiegel (Form V) states, “I went to the locker room, changed and left my bag inside a locker without a lock, which was my mistake. However, I have been doing this throughout my two and a half years at Fieldston and have never had a problem before. When I came back from practice, I noticed that my gym bag was open and when I started looking for my clothing, I could not find my sweater or my leggings. I looked in other places around the locker room and the lost and found, but I couldn’t find them anywhere. I told the gym coaches, but they simply told me I should have had a lock on my locker.” Students should not have to worry about having their belongings stolen during a time when they are supposed to be releasing the stress induced by a long day of taking tests, presenting projects, writing papers and attending classes.
Unfortunately, the locker room is not the only scene of the crime. Amanda Shapiro (VI) experienced theft at Fieldston during assembly, a time allotted for deeper thinking and connecting to global issues. Shapiro, like many other students, left her bag on the table under the stairs to the auditorium amid a mountain of other backpacks, not thinking about the security of it or its contents. Shapiro states that “she had fifty dollars stolen from her.” After going to her dean and security, there was nothing to be done.
Not unlike Ms. Shapiro, Matthew de Boer (VI) fell prey to a similar fate. De Boer, whose bag was located in the DTL, states that “he had forty dollars stolen from him during an assembly.” De Boer contacted his advisor and security and was given the same script that Shapiro was. Nothing could be done.
These are not isolated incidences. Many other thefts have occurred at Fieldston, a place otherwise known for its ethical bearing and collegiality. Something needs to change, but combatting this issue is difficult. The Director of Safety and Security, David Argenzio states, “you have an expectation of privacy in the locker rooms so we could never put a camera in, but we can do things like install cameras in the hallways to see who goes in and out at a certain time. The number one thing students can do to combat theft is put a lock on their locker.” In his short tenure at Fieldston, Mr. Argenzio has not encountered many incidents of theft during assemblies, but he did discuss the possibility of installing cameras in the auditorium, gyms, and other common spaces as a way to thwart theft.
Having something taken from you feels like the ultimate violation of our ethical values. Our community needs to work with security and the gym coaches to create a system to keep student’s belongings safe during academic and recreational activities that require them to leave their personal items unattended. Students should feel like their belongings are safe and respected. It is necessary to reinforce the ethical values that Fieldston prides itself on, as well as hold those who violate them accountable for their actions.
