Members of the Greek community are on high alert after an intruder went door-to-door along sorority houses attempting to get in.
On Sept. 25, Malcolm-Louis Akeem Tramel, 23, went door-to-door on Greek park, knocking on several sorority house doors claiming that he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha from another Florida university.
It wasn’t until he followed an Alpha Xi Delta sister into her sorority house that the house mom called the UCF Police Department and had Tramel escorted off campus. The following day Tramel was arrested by the Student Union again for trespassing on UCF campus.
In an email sent out to all Greek life, community relations/ crime prevention officers Peter Osterrider and Peter Stephens stated, “he was saying he is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha from FAU (or FIU). According to members of Alpha Phi Alpha, he is not a member of their organization. The individual did not appear to be armed, but it was unknown what he was carrying in the bag. He may have had some mental issues (although that is unclear as well).”
All sorority houses on campus have high security to enter any of the entrances. Kappa Delta has a hand scan, Delta Delta Delta has a slide card, Kappa Kappa Gamma has student ID scanners and pin codes, Alpha Xi Delta has a pin pad, Zeta Tau Alpha has a key fob and Alpha Delta Pi has a hand scan. In addition, most of the houses have video cameras scanning all doorways and parking lots.
“The only time I’ve ever been nervous with my safety in my sorority house is when I lost my key fob because it had my ID with it, and if someone knows I’m a Zeta then they now have access into my house. I’ve lived there for two years, and other than that, I feel completely safe,” senior and Zeta Tau Alpha house resident Alexa Rodriguez said.
Differing from sorority houses, fraternity houses aren’t as strict with their security. Some fraternities are even known for giving out their door code and leaving their doors completely unlocked during all hours.
“Fraternities can afford to be a little more relaxed, given the fact that most people would think twice before breaking into a house with over 30 men. I can’t think of an incident where I felt like my life was threatened when I lived at Sigma Chi. I had a house full of over-sized brothers, which at the end of the day gave me more security than a lock on a door,” senior and former Sigma Chi house resident Jimmy Orjuela said.
In an email sent out to all of Greek life, UCF crime prevention urged students that “it is important for residents to ask questions such as ‘who are you here to see?’ or ‘can I help you with anything?’” The email also advised students to ask the individual whether they’re here on business, and if so, the person should be able to present proper identification, state who they are trying to contact and explain why.
“I think a lot of girls in my sorority, and I would hope other girls in other sororities, would ask for a full name of who he was looking for before letting him in. It’s scary, but preventable with common sense,” Rodriguez said.
For those students who think these measures are being taken to extreme, UCF crime prevention said that it is completely acceptable to have someone wait outside the front door while you find the individual they are looking for.
This is not the first time something like this has happened. In 2011, two UCF alumni broke into and attempted to rob the Kappa Alpha Theta house. However, UCF spokeswoman Courtney Gilmartin said that situations with intruders on Greek park are “rare.”
“UCF Police have increased patrol in Greek Park as a result of this and other incidents. As always, the university asks that students remain vigilant of their surroundings both on campus and off. If a person or situation seems suspicious, students should call 911 immediately,” Gilmartin said.
