Over Winter Break last year, a thief broke into Troutman's room in his fraternity house and stole his stereo and television.
Troutman, a junior management and society major, said he thinks that because thieves know when students are on break, they can easily steal students' belongings from their homes. He also said fraternities seemed to be an easy target.
"It's real easy for someone to break in," he said "All they have to do is break in the door and go up the stairs."
But Troutman said he did not know what could be done to stop burglaries during the holiday season.
"Even during the day people are always trying to get in," he said. "So, what can you do when nobody's there?"
Local officials and apartment managers say the answer lies in simple precautionary measures.
Chapel Hill interim Police Chief Gregg Jarvies said the Chapel Hill Police Department does all it can to prevent increased larceny during the holidays. "We try to step up patrols," he said. "But there's only so much we can do. We can't patrol neighborhoods 24 hours a day."
Jarvies also said students have an even greater risk of larceny than other residents because most of them leave for the holidays. "The trouble with students is that we don't find out about the robbery until after they come back from break," he said.
Jarvies said all residents including students should attempt to minimize quiet and dark areas at their homes. "Locks aren't enough," he said. "If it's quiet, they can just bust in the door."
