As students head for the beach over spring break, burglars have an opportunity to head for vacant campus area housing.Burglary is a “crime of opportunity,” said Sgt. Earl Smith, spokesman for the Columbus Division of Police. Most burglars know when students are gone, he said.Burglaries increase over breaks, said University Police Chief Ron Michalec.”(Burglars) prey on unoccupied dwellings,” Michalec said.Students can help prevent becoming a victim by doing some standard things, Smith said. Locking doors and windows, stopping delivery of mail and newspapers, putting timers on lights and taking portable items when you leave are among those things.Students should make an inventory of the make, model and serial number of items that they do not take, Michalec said. This information can increase the chance of recovery by more than half, he said.The most stolen items include cash, stereos and VCRs, Smith said.Burglars will enter a house or apartment in many ways.”(They will enter through) whatever is convenient and out of sight,” Smith said.Erin Creadon, a junior majoring in family studies, experienced being a burglary victim over Thanksgiving break two years ago.Close to $8,000 worth of items were stolen from her East 14th Avenue apartment.The stolen items included televisions, VCRs, a camera and clothes, Creadon said.”I didn’t feel like it was my home anymore,” she said.She said she was scared and uneasy to be in her apartment.Since the incident, Creadon has relocated to an apartment with a security system and leaves as many lights on as possible when she goes away.The focus for many students is on their vacation, Smith said.”(Students) probably think of everything but being a victim,” he said.