UTSA Police responded to several reports of burglaries at the Chisholm Hall student housing complex on Nov. 15. Some residents speculate that the intruder was someone with a master key. 

An email from the university reported there was an “unauthorized breach of security in nine rooms.” No one was harmed during the incident, but several items were reported missing, some that were recovered at the scene. 

Witnesses described the two suspects as males with light complexions and lean builds, wearing a red hoodie and a white hoodie. The investigation is ongoing and students with information can call the UTSA Police Department at (210)458-4242. 

The Paisano spoke with three RA’s, one of whom was a victim in the burglaries. The students asked that their name not be used, but all communicated that they were frightened at the breach in safety. 

“I feel angry and unsafe. My room was one that got broken into. I was laying in bed and felt a tug to get up, and when I sat up, there was someone peeking through the door, and they closed the door really quickly and they left,” she said.

“I still haven’t fully processed it, but every time I replay it in my head, I realize that it actually happened. I talked to some people on the fourth floor and their stories are crazy. They were actually in their room, actually going through their drawers, actually next to them and they are having to pretend to be asleep. Some things were stolen — things like Air Pods, money, computers — but some stuff was given back because the burglars couldn’t carry it all. ”

The RA’s also communicated that they were upset about university administration’s lack of attention to the safety of on-campus residence halls. 

“I feel like no one cares right now; we bring up the fact that we don’t feel safe in the building, but the administration disregards it and how we feel about our safety and other students’ safety,” she said. 

“Our safety definitely does not feel like a priority. We communicate this with Housing, or our supervisor will try and advocate for us, but it doesn’t always go far. This should be a wake-up call for Housing. This is definitely a question of ‘Is UTSA Housing going to invest in the security and safety of their students?’ given that our security system is awful.”

Another resident, Marlon Millan, who is from the Rio Grande Valley, indicated that he was distraught and worried that a burglary had happened in the place where he lived. 

“It’s really weird. I don’t know how someone managed to get a master key card to get into the building and get into the rooms,” Millan said. 

“Apparently, it wasn’t an RA key card. They are saying it might be a maintenance key card, so how that student acquired it or whether it is someone who actually works at the school doing that, it makes me feel really unsafe. Especially with me being so far from home. It’s a very surreal situation; it’s something that I never thought would happen, but it’s happening. I think a big part of it is just the lack of security walking around the premises. It might be helpful to have a security guard walking around for each complex.”