When Lee Dencklau returned to his room at 7103 Storms Hall last Wednesday, he found several items missing: a Super Nintendo, an answering machine, two video games, a lighter and some change. A total value of $210 in losses.

Living in the residence halls may be a risky experience for those who leave their doors unlocked.

Having lots of valuables in one area may be convenient, but in some cases, it is an invitation for trouble.

While theft is a factor in any sort of college setting, many times theft is caused by other people’s carelessness, said Loras Jaeger, director of the Iowa State Department of Public Safety .

“It happens periodically,” Jaeger said. “Many of the theft cases are opportunity thefts.”

Opportunity thefts happen when the burglar goes down the hall trying different doors to see if someone is home, Jaeger said.

“The best advice we can give a student is to treat their room like they would treat their home,” he said. “Make sure to lock your door when you are not there.”

Dencklau, a junior in marketing, said he is going to start locking his door from now on.

In fact, his entire floor has started locking their doors to prevent a similar incidents from happening.

Dencklau simply left his room to visit a friend’s room for about 30 minutes, leaving his door unlocked. After nearly a week, he knows of no suspects. DPS has not turned up any clues either, he said.

He said thefts in the dorms are not common, but they do occasionally happen.

“I’ve heard of it happening before, but it’s actually pretty rare I would think,” he said. “Most of the floor has been more upset about it than I have.”

Dencklau has also started to write down the serial numbers on his valuable possessions.

“I’m afraid to look for stuff because I might find stuff missing that I might not have reported,” he said.

Although thefts happen throughout the year, Jaeger said they worry more about thefts during the break, when students are gone.