Paige Phillips arrived home to Pi Beta Phi after being out one evening this winter. A cold rush of wind swooped across her face.

Phillips, Plano, Texas, junior, was freezing. All she wanted to do was get inside — but she couldn’t.

The 163 women of Pi Beta Phi, 1612 W. 15th St., were required to use a fingerprint scanner to unlock the door. But the system had frozen because of the cold weather. Phillips thought about ringing the doorbell, but none of the women could hear it from their rooms upstairs. After five minutes, she finally reached a sorority member and was let into the house.

Next winter, Phillips won’t need to worry about a frozen security system. Pi Beta Phi spent thousands of dollars on a new palm-scanner called Hand Key II this February. The sorority, like many greek houses at the University, has improved its security this school year.

Some houses, such as Sigma Delta Tau sorority, are responding to break-ins. Others, like Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, want the best prevention possible. Generally both men and women in the greek community are concerned about security, but while men cared most about their possessions, women cared most about personal safety. All greeks know that safety is something that potential new members want to know about.

“I want to be able to go to bed at night knowing that I’m safe and no one’s wandering around the house that shouldn’t be here,” said Zack Zimmerman, Pi Kappa Phi president and Wichita junior. “If there’s any way I can ensure my safety, then I’m going to do it.”

Benefits of Increased Security

Pi Beta Phi’s security system was installed Feb. 16 in the front and the back of the house. While the sorority didn’t have any recent break-ins, members wanted to make sure they could prevent them and wanted to update the technology.

Even though the system cost $10,000, Phillips said it was worth it.

“We haven’t heard of any incidents at all since the security device was put in,” Phillips said. “Being alone during late hours feels very secure in the house, as if I was in my own home in Texas.”

The sorority has had few security problems.

Since 1998, the house has had one burglary and one theft.

“In sororities within the greek system, security is a must,” said Katy Ibsen, Pi Beta Phi president.

The new system is easy to use, and it won’t freeze up in the winter because it has a covering that protects it. Members of Pi Beta Phi enter a personal code and put their palm on a scanner before the door will unlock.

The system logs when members enter the house, which helps the investigation of thefts and break-ins, Phillips said.

“If something was stolen or a guy was found walking around, you can go into the history of the program and question the people that came into the house during a similar time to see if they know anything,” Phillips said.

The Statistics

Lawrence Police Department records show that 134 burglaries were reported in 30 fraternity and sorority chapter houses since 1998. Fraternities reported 89 incidents, while sororities had 45.

Break-ins are included in the burglary numbers, Capt. Dave Cobb, Lawrence Police Department, said.

A burglary is when a person is not present and their things are stolen. On the other hand, in a robbery someone physically took something by force, he said.

The Lawrence Police Department has received 3,622 calls from 28 chapter houses since 1998 — 2,426 from fraternities and 1,196 from sororities. However, not all calls were about security problems. For example, 500 calls were about towing cars.

What Other Chapters Are Doing

On Feb. 12, sometime around 4 a.m., a man got into the Sigma Delta Tau sorority house at 1625 Edgehill Road. Since then, the chapter has increased security around the house, particularly at night.

Stefani Gerson, Overland Park junior, was in her room on the second floor when the intruder came in. She saw a light from his cell phone and jumped up. The man quickly ran down the stairs and out the back door.

Even though that shook Gerson, she’s more worried about other security issues.

“Walking up the hill is a bigger fear than the actual house,” Gerson said. “I really don’t feel any less safe in the house because of that.”

The sorority does not have a parking lot, so members park down the hill from their house. The walk up the hill is very dark at night, Gerson said.

On March 5, the sorority installed 12 solar light fixtures on the walkway to the house. The 12 lights cost $100, but may not offer enough security.

“I’m thinking about replacing those with spotlights so they can be even brighter,” Gerson said.

She said before the lights were installed, she ran up the hill talking on her cell phone.

“In the house, I feel safe,” Gerson said. “Outside during the day, I feel perfectly safe. Outside at night, I don’t feel safe.”

Sigma Delta Tau president Marisa Vrona said installing lights had been on the sorority’s agenda for a long time. The light installation became the number one priority after the February incident.

The front entrance of the sorority house already had an automatic lock and the back doors have manual locks. The intruder got in the house from an unlocked back door, Vrona said.

Fraternities on campus have increased security this semester as well.

Zimmerman, the Pi Kappa Phi president, said he enacted a house policy last fall that prohibited anyone from going out on the three fire escapes.

The rule was approved last September. Anyone caught on the escape is fined $50.

In December, someone tried to enter the house from a fire escape on the fourth floor, Zimmerman said. He and his roommate chased the man to 15th and Kentucky St. and then called the police, he said. Police caught the man, but Zimmerman said he did not know what happened to him.

There is a security code to the back door of Pi Kappa Phi, 1537 Tennessee St., which is the entrance used most often, Zimmerman said. The fraternity has 15 entrances. Because the house has so many entrances, Zimmerman said he advised members of the fraternity to lock the doors every night. At Pi Kappa Phi, the fire escape incident was the only break-in that the fraternity has dealt with this academic year.

Problems with Security

Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, 1645 Tennessee St., has had security problems at the annex across the street.

The “South Annex” of the fraternity was broken into four times this semester, said John Krause, Overland Park junior and resident of the annex.

About $40,000 worth of possessions was stolen in four months, he said. After one break-in, a car was stolen last November. Someone broke into the annex, took one of the resident’s car keys and stole his car. It was missing for about three weeks before police ran a car check and located it, Krause said.

Annex residents have responded. The house paid $100 for five-inch pins that push through the window into the window sill for more security, Krause said. But he still doesn’t think that will not keep burglars away.

“Sometimes, a really strong wind could break these windows,” he said. “In the summer, if these guys want in, they’ll get back in.”

Burglars have stolen DVD’s, DVD players and video games, Krause said.

Two of the burglaries occurred during winter break and spring break when fewer students were present.

“It got to the point to where we expected it each time,” he said. “I took my DVD player home over spring break.”

Still, Krause feels safe at the annex.

“These people are from the bottom of the social hierarchy,” he said, referring to the burglars. “They’re cowards, they’re desperate, and they can’t make a living, so they’re doing something stupid.”

The fraternity has had other security problems.

Sigma Phi Epsilon members had had their cars broken into on three consecutive weekends last semester, said Sam Pickell, Sigma Phi Epsilon president. Five cars were damaged.

“We had guys volunteer to sit out at the parking lot on a Friday and Saturday night when the cars were all getting broken into,” Pickell said. “But of course on that weekend, nothing happened.”

Eric Corder’s Camaro was broken into last September. The Ottawa junior said the incident happened around 6 a.m. and he found out about it at 11 a.m. when he went outside to the parking lot to find someone else’s car door open.

His own car was locked. But people probably had gotten into his car by breaking the hatch of his trunk with a screwdriver, Corder said.

Piles of his belongings were spread across the floor of his car. His sunroof was open. Corder’s subwoofers from his trunk were taken, along with many CDs.

“I had those subwoofers custom built and that cost me about $600,” he said. “I had a large amount of CDs as well, and in the end, I lost about $900 worth. That’s something insurance doesn’t cover.”

Sigma Phi Epsilon has coded door locks on four of the six entrances. Pickell said he never considered getting an alarm system because too many people come in and out of the house.

Incoming Freshmen

When Danielle Strauber, Greenwood Village, Colo., freshman, came to Kansas as a freshman last fall.

She joined Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and although she made friends right away, she had one concern — security.

“I was freaking out,” she said. “Being from Colorado, I didn’t know if Lawrence was safe or not at night. The first thing I heard was that there was a shooting at Jeff Co.”

Strauber was referring to the incident last year at Jefferson Commons, 2511 W. 31st St., where a man was shot and killed during a party.

Even though Strauber did not live at the sorority house first semester, she said security played an important role in choosing a house.

“We first saw the house at midday, so I didn’t know if it was going to be dark or lit up at night,” she said. “It’s really well-lit though.”

Recent Incident

Phi Kappa Theta fraternity, 1111 W. 11th St., had security problems on April 9.

Michael Pilshaw, Lawrence junior, said two leather black couches, a black leather loveseat, black leather chairs and three foot rests were found missing between 6 and 9 a.m. The couches were valued at $2,000 and the chair was valued at $400, according to a Lawrence police report.

Since the incident, Phi Kappa Theta hired a security guard to patrol the front of the house from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights. Pilshaw said the fraternity had done nothing like this before.

The security guard will monitor a front door on the weekends that has no lock on it. Phi Kappa Theta has a side door and two back doors with locks on them, Pilshaw said.

Unfortunately for Phi Kappa Theta, the security problems were the least of their concerns. The fraternity was expelled from campus because of an unregistered party on Feb. 19.

“Since we’re moving out at the end of the year, we’d rather do this than buy a security system,” Pilshaw said.

But while Phi Kappa Theta may be able to ignore security concerns for now, most greek houses are continually adapting to confront them.

— Edited by Lisa Coble-Krings and Jesse Truesdale