It's important for students to protect their personal property (stereos, cameras, calculators, personal computers, clothes, books, and furniture), and Graduate students are responsible for purchasing their own personal property insurance; the University does not provide insurance coverage for these items, even if these items are used at a Brown facility for research or other academic activities.

Students are advised to be proactive in order to reduce the frustration and inconvenience resulting either from theft or from damage caused by unanticipated accidents. For computers, the best way to minimize the disruption is to maintain regular backups of critical data. These backups should not be kept in the same location as the computer. A loss due to a water leak, for example, could potentially damage both the computer and the backup. Students should keep an inventory of their property, complete with serial numbers, as a way to prove ownership in the event they need to file a claim with an insurance company.

For additional safety tips, including information about how to register your computer and bicycle, visit the Department of Public Safety’s Crime Prevention Unit website.