Illustration by Holly Randall

In all the years I have been at the UA, I have not remembered there ever being so many crimes amongst the student population and surrounding neighborhoods.

The local papers have been reporting several rapes and home robberies off campus. And on campus, reports have been filed claiming that people broke into their dorm rooms, offices, and cars. And it was just the other day that a man was arrested for entering a student's dorm room and slipping into her bed.

But you never think that it's going to be you; it's always the girls down the hall, the neighbors next door, someone else's car. So you don't worry about the window you accidentally left open or the door you forgot to lock as you left the house for school that morning.

Then, when you come back from a quick jaunt for cookie dough, you find one guy jumping out your bedroom window and another jumping over your backyard fence.

And then your heart stops beating. Whether it's the fact that some weirdo was rummaging through your underwear drawer looking for jewelry and money or the sudden knowledge that your computer is gone, it's all the same to you.

The police have been warning students on and off campus to take certain precautions, whether it's using SafeRide, walking with others at night, or locking up your dorm room.

However, what can you do after you have been robbed? Of course there are some simple things, like calling 911, reporting your belongings missing, and calling up the welder to put bars on your windows.

But that only takes care of part of the problem. It completely ignores the emotional aspect of being robbed or assaulted.

Despite all the advice the police give you, none of it removes those feelings of fear - even if you know the criminals will not be coming back anytime soon. No matter how consistently you lock the doors and windows afterward, there is nothing that can make it feel better.

But there are a few things that you can do to make you feel more secure and relaxed without actually buying that handgun.

Laura Keslar Columnist

Unlike back in junior high when your parents still wouldn't allow you to have co-ed parties, having a giant co-ed slumber party really helps out a lot - especially if the house is only filled with women. As anti-feminist as this is, it feels marvelous having men camped out in your living room with the sole purpose of keeping you safe from the evil little dweebs who entered your house.

And as much as you want to go outside and shoot some cats (or some cat burglars, for that matter), let's avoid getting in trouble and giving your parents another reason to keep you at home for one more year. Instead, taking a sip of that merlot is really relaxing. In no time you will be willing to fall asleep on the very bed that the burglars were using to climb in and out of the window.

While we are talking about foods, remember that chocolate chip cookie dough you bought before you came back to find people bolting from your previously locked house? Try eating it, either as a cookie or straight out of the package. You get a dose of homey goodness that reminds you of the safety and comfort of being at home.

Although the situation of having your house be the target of a home invasion and over $6000 worth of electronics stolen seems like quite a bad ordeal, look at the best aspect of it: roommate bonding.

I never saw one of my roommates except in passing as we left the house, at least not until after we were robbed. It might not be the best of situations to get acquainted with your roommates, but you take what you can get. Bad situations have a way of bringing you together.

After someone comes into your home without your permission, physically violating the integrity of the building, it's hard to shake that feeling of insecurity, annoyance, or just plain anger. It's difficult to keep from looking over your shoulder whenever the heater starts up, because you think it's someone trying to break into your house. And it's awful being afraid to turn off the lights when you go to bed.

But, as it is, someone else's loss can be your gain. Take the lesson that other students have learned: Take care with your safety during the final weeks of school.

Otherwise, you should be willing to come up with other great ways to feel more secure if your place is ever broken into.

Laura Keslar is a pre-pharmacy major whose molecular model was broken during a burglary. Email your condolences to letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.