Freshman Tara Fornuto was perplexed when she walked into one of the residence halls at midnight and found the front desk vacant.

“I went into one of the halls around midnight, and the desk was open,” said Fornuto. “There was no one there; I waited a few minutes to see if they would show up because sometimes they walk around. No one came, so I just went upstairs and kept my ID.”

Security lapses like this have caused many students to become concerned about their safety.

Security guards are posted at the front desk of every residence hall from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m. when student workers come to relieve them.

“We select and assign what we feel to be the appropriate person in a hall because we know the importance of it,” Director of Campus Safety and Security Dominic Locatelli said.

Supervisors are around campus to keep their employees accountable, but sometimes things slip through the cracks.

“It’s not a perfect world; there are going to be violations,” Locatelli said. “We’re not trying to make light or come up with any type of, for lack of a better word, excuses for it. It’s just specifically we want to know immediately if there’s a violation.”

An email was sent out to students on Feb. 26 by Vice Provost for Student Life Charles Carlson with a laundry list of ways to keep you safe on campus at night, but none of the points were particular to those who live in the residence halls.

The Office of Residential Life encourages residents to lock their individual rooms.

Students say it is not their top priority, as they feel they can rely on the door that leads directly to their suite from the hallway.

When the suite doors are not locking properly, then it creates a potential threat to students’ safety.

Students in South Hall say a faulty lock may have led to a break-in.

“We put in three different work orders before the incident happened, and as soon as the incident happened they came right away to fix it,” said sophomore Sarah Dembek, who claims her room was broken into. “They were helpful but it was kind of too late.”

According to the Iona Student Handbook, students’ dorm rooms are examined periodically for health and safety violations, and are sanctioned for anything not up to standards.

“You’re much better off locking your door, and taking your key with you,” said Mel Pelletier, the Residence Hall Director for Operations and Houses.

Pelletier recommends that students lock their doors regularly and be wary of their personal possessions.

Other ways to prevent security breaches are purchasing a safe and being careful of who comes in and out of your suite.

“Be vigilant, not only of who you bring in the halls and what type of behavior they might have, but of others around you and other guests,” Pelletier said.

The Offices of Residential Life and Campus Safety and Security encourage students to contact them if any security concerns arise.

Security can be reached 24 hours a day at (914) 633-2560; the Office of Residential Life’s phone number is (914) 633-2336.