Archives theft disgraces Drew U.

William Scott’s (’13) arrest on Sunday morning by the FBI for theft of historical documents from the United Methodist Archives Center has brought up many concerns about security at Drew University.
According to the FBI Criminal Complaint, Scott had access to these documents because he worked in the Archives Center and  had a key.
According to the complaint, Scott pilfered many of the “Wesley Letters,” letters exchanged between the founders of Methodism, John and Charles Wesley. Because of their historical significance, these 18th and 19th century documents are valued at $5,000 to $12,000 per letter.
Scott also stole other documents throughout the Methodist Archives.
Scott sent off letters to various dealers in attempts to sell them. When Drew discovered that the letters were missing, they turned the situation over to the FBI, according to Chief Communications Officer Dave Muha.
After searching Scott’s dorm room on March 13 and discovering six of the Wesley letters and 11 historical documents in a folder in Scott’s closet, authorities arrested Scott. “The arrest took place here on campus after the student returned from a spring break trip with the lacrosse team,” Muha said. 
Scott was arraigned this afternoon at 2:30 p.m., Muha said. According to the New York Times, Scott faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He was released on $50,000 bond on Monday.
So far, the FBI has recovered 10 items, including letters by and documents signed by several US presidents and some of the Wesley Letters. Muha stressed that Drew is not certain exactly which documents have been recovered, because the FBI is currently holding them in evidence folders.
“Drew is very grateful to the FBI for their swift action,” Muha said.
The incident has raised questions about security among administrators. “We were surprised that the incident occurred,” Methodist Librarian Chris Anderson said.
Muha said, “There are basically two investigations going on right now.” One investigation focuses on Scott and his actions. The other, Muha said, is looking into what enabled Scott to pilfer the documents. “For over 20 years, students have worked in the archives without incident. So, this really encouraged us to take a good look at security,” Muha said.
Anderson said that administrators are “moving quickly” towards solutions for better security—they have already held a meeting discussing the situation. “We’ve really set out immediately to address these issues,” Anderson said. At this point, however, measures that will be taken to secure the archives have not been officially determined. According to Muha, Dean of Libraries and Senior Librarian Andrew Scrimgeour has been assigned the duty of creating a report on recommendations for security solutions by April 10.
President of the University Bob Weisbuch said, “It’s a very saddening event. It’s regrettable on a number of levels. The prime consideration is the recovery of those documents entrusted to the University. As a Dad, I can’t help but feel a lot of compassion for the student’s family at the same time. We just need to be absolutely assured as much as possible that this can never happen again.”
Students had varying responses to the crime. One student called the extensive coverage of the crime in large newspapers “embarrassing.”
Morgan Beaupre (’13) said that Scott’s actions reflect badly on Drew. “You’re a representative of your school,” she said.
Beaupre brought up security as a big concern. “Now people who are in charge of things like that are going to be more wary of who they employ,” she said.
An anonymous commenter on the Acorn website said, “The question of why [Scott] had a key has been answered very well. I used to work in the library myself, so students being handed keys to certain areas of the libraries and rare book sections happens all of the time. There is a job interview, but it’s not very thorough. Perhaps it should be more thorough from now on.”
Other students disagreed with the opinion that the crime will change opinions of Drew. “I don’t think it’s a reflection on Drew at all,” Katya Danko (’13) said. She also said that she does not feel threatened by the crime. “It wasn’t a violent crime, so I don’t feel more in danger,” she said.
Hayley Downing (’13) agreed. “Nobody got hurt in it,” she said. She did, however, call the crime “terrible.” “It was stupid,” she said.
“[The crime] doesn’t really change my opinion of Drew University,” Carly DeVito (’12) said. “It’s crazy that somebody who was trusted with that kind of job could…do something like that,” she said.
Other students only felt sympathy for Scott. “I just feel bad for the kid,” Anthony Solano (’11) said.