The Sanyo LCD projector, purchased in August of 2000, was valued at $12,791.
"I am utterly disappointed [by the theft] because it is such a terrible loss for the student body and the Amherst community as a whole," said Assistant Dean of Students and Director of the Campus Center Samuel Haynes.
Professors used the projector for films and powerpoint presentations because it could be connected to PCs and other video equipment.
FLICS relied on the projector to show feature films every Thursday through Sunday in the Campus Center.
FLICS will be able to continue in the meantime because it often uses 16mm reels instead of DVDs and VHS tapes. "I was surprised and upset to hear it had been stolen … it's a major inconvenience for anyone who wants to use the Campus Center theater," said Helen Dole '04, the coordinator of FLICS.
Haynes noted that losing the system is a significant loss. "It was an expensive system. We purchased a projector of this quality specifically because it was able to magnify pictures onto the entire screen with perfect quality," he said.
Chief of Campus Police John Carter said that they have no suspects or motives at this point.
Carter said that there was no signs of forced entry into the projection room; a locksmith examined the lock and said that it was in good working order. "Either the door was left open or someone had a key," he said.
The projector was a fairly large item, about the size of a PC, and thus difficult to carry away without being noticed. However, because the projection booth is downstairs in the Campus Center, the perpetrator could have gone out of a back door without being seen.
"The Campus Center is under construction so doors on the lower level are left open all the time; there are no alarms. Someone could easily go off into a fenced area unnoticed," said Haynes.
An investigation is being conducted at the College and in the larger Amherst community.
"The LCD projector is an item of great resale value," said Carter, "But if anyone is going to sell it they will need a venue such as a dealer or pawn shop."
Campus Police plans to enter the stolen item in the FBI's national database so that if another police agency finds it, they will know that it belongs to the College.
Carter stressed the seriousness of the offense. "This is a larceny of over $200 so it is considered a felony under state law. It is punishable only by imprisonment for five years or more," he said.
Haynes said that it is likely that the College will consider alternatives to legal prosecution. "If the perpetrator is someone from the Amherst community, we would go through the College's judicial process first."
If the perpetrator was discovered to be a student, the matter would be referred to Associate Dean of Students Frances Tuleja, and the Committee of Discipline would be convened to hear the charges and evidence.
"There is always the possibility of prosecution, but we don't usually seek criminal charges here at Amherst," said Haynes.