With this Friday marking the start of Thanksgiving break, most of the residence halls will be emptying out, said Ben Leddy, senior in LAS and Resident Advisor in Allen Hall.

Leddy said every student needs to take measures to make sure his or her dorm room stays safe from problems during break.

“I felt a sense of responsibility during my first break freshman year, because I had to really think about what I needed to take home and leave here,” Leddy said. “It was during this that I felt that (the dorm room) was really my home.”

Matt Seeberg, sophomore in LAS, said he is not worried about thievery.

“Everyone is gone for break, and I cannot really imagine someone talking a fridge from my room,” Seeberg said.

Michael Zhang, freshman in FAA, believes that locking the doors will help keep his room safe over break.

But there are even more steps students can take to secure their dorm rooms, said Mamta Aggarwal, senior in Engineering and RA in Allen Hall.

The following is a list of suggestions Leddy and Aggarwal had to offer for students to follow before leaving for break.

• Coordinate with your roommate as to who is leaving last, stressing the importance of making sure everything is locked.

• Make sure you don’t forget your I-Card and room keys.

• Lock your valuables in your closet if you are not going to take them with you. Locking them in the closet can serve as extra protection if someone were to get into your dorm room.

• Lock the windows and shut the storm windows and the net screen. This is to prevent people from climbing into the room, especially for those who live on the ground floor, which Aggarwal said has happened to students that might have been locked out of their rooms.

• Throw away trash beforehand because you do not want your room to smell once you get back. Leaving the trash out could also cause insects to come into the room.

• Turn off all lights and unplug all appliances except the refrigerator to save energy. If there were a problem in the circuitry of the building, appliances would not be ruined.

• If you have a plant, do not take them because it is not worth the hassle, Leddy said. Rather, keep them in the room and water them heavily before you leave.

Apartment Safety

While students living in apartments are not required to pack up and vacate their places for school breaks like those living in the dorms, people that do go home for break take similar measures in securing their rooms, said Anish Soni, junior in LAS and apartment dweller.

• Take all of you valuables home or hide them if you cannot take them with you.

• Lock all the doors, including your room, the front door and the balcony door.

• Lock all the windows. You don’t want someone to break into your apartment through an unlocked window, Soni said.

• Close the blinds so no one can see into the empty apartment.

• Turn off all lights and electronics, except the fridge. Soni said leaving the appliances in the kitchen is safe enough.

• Along with your valuables, take homework and be selective in the clothes you pack. You do not need to take things that you will have at home, such as appliances and certain clothing items.