A man has been banned from all three campuses following multiple attempts to gain entry into Whitney Hall, a residence at University College (UC), between 12:00 am and 4:00 am on Sunday, January 26.
Matt Fullerton, a first-year student, was smoking outside UC at around 4:00 am when an unfamiliar man approached him and asked for a cigarette. “I asked whether he was a student living at Whitney Hall,” said Fullerton. “He replied he lived on the fourth floor — which doesn’t even exist.”
Eli Emslie, a fourth-year student, had a similar encounter with the man. He adds that the man was lingering around the residence’s various doors, seemingly waiting for someone to exit so he could slip inside. Emslie claims the man tried to follow him into the building.
Both students say the student porter on duty at the time, Tina Liu, refused to call Campus Police after various residents and a residence don requested her to do so. They expressed concern that Liu seemed nervous, and alleged that she might not have the necessary security training. Liu declined to comment.
Campus Police arrived on scene promptly after the don contacted them. They arrested the man for Trespassing at Night and, after deeming him unaffiliated with U of T, banned him from all U of T campuses.
University spokesperson, Laurie Stephens, said that Toronto Police were notified and Community Alerts were provided to all deans of students to distribute to their students. When asked if the university has taken extra security measures in light of this incident, Stephens responded that Campus Police and building patrol “do regular surveillance of all areas on campus.”
A notice posted by Campus Police warns anyone who sees the man not to engage with him, and to immediately contact them.
