Students alerted about two alleged robberies of students

Dear Students,

For those of you who enjoyed a spring break, welcome back. I write to bring to your attention a pair of incidents that occurred this evening. Between 6 and 7 pm, two students were robbed in the Morreene and Erwin Road areas. No weapons were reported to be used in either situation but two assailants accosted the students in both cases. These appear to have been teens or young adults looking for quick cash or easily disposable items.

As I've mentioned before, these are not uncommon circumstances though most unfortunate. There are no simple solutions to such crimes, technically called 'Common Law Robberies'. Nonetheless, Duke Police have increased patrols to this area and are collaborating with Durham Police on the investigation of these crimes.

As always, please be cautious of your surroundings and call 911 should you feel threatened in any way. Duke Police can also be reached by calling 684-2444.

Typically, robberies such as these will not generate a broadcast email, but in light of the crime noted in Dean Sue's email to you last week and with the warmth of spring ahead (often when we see an uptick in these kinds of robberies), I've chosen to share this information with you. Hopefully, my next emails will be in celebration of positive campus news.

I wish you well with the rest of the semester,

Larry Moneta Vice President for Student Affairs