The entire block of housing units in University Park North and the Towers at Centennial Square were re-keyed last week after two master keys opening about 3,000 resident’s doors were reported stolen Monday, Oct. 28, according to University officials.
The University responded to the crisis and managed to re-key all the affected apartments and dorm rooms by Saturday night, Nov. 2. They also hired outside security and increased University Police Department patrols, said Nan Broadbent, University spokeswoman.
“The University takes this situation very seriously and is undertaking a full review of what occurred and the key protocols across campus,” Broadbent said.
The re-key process included 697 apartments in UPN and 225 apartments in the Towers, according to Broadbent.
The University had no immediate estimate of the cost of the endeavor, but said insurance is expected to cover a significant portion of the cost, according to Broadbent.
“The entire process seemed highly organized and safe with the content security, I wasn’t worried about anything getting stolen, I felt safe,” said 19-year-old criminal justice major Hasib Emran.
The crisis began Monday night when residents of UPN and the Towers at Centennial Square found fliers taped to their doors that described the loss of the master key due to a break-in and announced a community meeting.
Security guards stood watch as apartment locks were changed and residents were able to pick up their new keys from a distribution tent after their IDs were checked, according to Emran.
“I felt really safe during the process with all the security guards, especially after the recent break-ins in the building next to mine,” said 20-year-old international relations major Haleigh Anderson.
SF State University Housing manages UPN, the apartment buildings located along Buckingham Way, between 19th Avenue and Winston Drive, along with the Towers at Centennial Square, an on-campus housing complex for first-time freshmen and students 19 and younger.
The 15-story building connects to the Science and Technology Theme Community, also known as the Tower Jr. Suites or STTC, which houses another 104 students.
“It went quickly, it must have been very expensive to replace everything in such a short time,” said 19-year-old sociology major Maygan Lightson.
