As students shuffled to the Hub on Saturday night they were greeted with caution tape, broken glass and chairs blocking off a corner of the Hub.
Sometime between when the Club at N-dub dance ended at 12:37 a.m. and the following morning when student employees opened the Hub, there was a break-in.
“Two windows in the Hub were broken on the far end,” Sodexo manager Ned Price said.
The broken windows are in the Sodexo-managed Hub, but since the whole building belongs to NW, the damage is actually to NW property.
“I don’t really know why the person would have gone through the Hub but there was damage in the Hub,” said Julie Elliott, dean of students. “All I know for sure is that there is evidence that someone tried to get into the Hub and tried to get into the ATM machine.”
When the Hub student workers found the broken glass on Saturday morning they went and reported it to the manager in the Caf, who called the police.
“We were called in Sunday morning after the scene was found by the students,” said Orange City Police Chief Jim Pottebaum. “We are currently looking into every angle in this investigation.”
This is an ongoing investigation as the break-in was only six days ago.
The suspects broke in through the two windows in the Hub and walked through the Hub to get to the Iowa State Bank ATM machine.
“I know they’ve dusted for prints on the ATM machine and near the site of the break-in,” Elliott said.
Investigators wheeled the ATM, covered in fingerprint dust and with a smashed keyboard, out of the RSC on Tuesday.
“There was an undisclosed amount taken from the cash machine,” Pottebaum said.
The change machine in the wall in the mailroom was also damaged in the break-in, but was unsuccessfully broken into.
“Nothing was stolen from the Hub,” Price said.
There are multiple cameras the RSC area.
“We have cameras all over that place,” Harlan Jorgensen, director of computing services, said. “We have every angle covered.”
All of the main building on campus are covered with security cameras.
“I know they are reviewing the tapes,” Price said.
Early in the investigation, there were some leads connected to student worker involvement in the break-in. However, those leads have been disproven.
“I have no reason to think that [Sodexo employees were involved],” Price said.
Now all that remains to remind students of the break-in are the bolt holes tracing where the ATM once stood, the “out of order” sign on the change machine and the boarded up windows in the Hub.
“I don’t know how much repairs will cost and I have no idea how long those repairs will take,” Price said.
As NW prepares to pay for the damages the investigation is continues.
“We have no suspects at this time,” Pottebaum said.
If students have any information about the ongoing investigation they are encouraged to contact the Orange City Police Department.
PHOTOS BY DAVID LI The Hub, a common place for students to study, relax and share meals was broken into Saturday night. Many facts about the break-in remain unknown, but campus leaders are working to repair damage.
