Four University of Alabama students have reported that an unidentified male has entered their dorm rooms through an unlocked door in the past seven to 10 days, according to an email sent from Housing and Residential Communities to residents at 8:02 p.m. Tuesday.

UA spokeswoman Cathy Andreen said the incidents have occurred in the early morning while the students were sleeping. The students woke up to see the unidentified man in their room who then left once the students awoke, she said.

No injuries have been reported, Andreen said, but two students have reported the incidents as criminal trespassing and two as burglaries.

Alicia Browne, associate director for Information and Communication with Housing and Residential Communities, said one of the most important things that students can do to protect themselves and their belongings is to lock their doors.

“I’m glad that our residents feel so comfortable in their residence halls, but it is important to make good decisions regarding safety, and keeping doors locked is always a good decision,” Browne said. “I would also remind students that if a situation does not seem right or does not feel right, they should contact UAPD.” Browne said she spoke with all of the resident advisers on campus about the intruder in depth at their Tuesday night staff meetings.

“Safety is always a priority in our residence halls, especially as we approach break periods,” Browne said. “Right now, the issue of reminding residents to always lock their doors has become even more important, and this is what we discussed with our staff. They will be actively reminding their residents of the importance of locking their doors at all times, whether they are in their rooms or not, both night and day.”

Alfred Hamilton, a sophomore majoring in biology and an RA, said there was a meeting with his residence hall’s community director about trying to make sure that their residents followed guidelines in order to protect themselves.

“My floor partner and myself went door-to-door telling the residents to make sure they lock their doors when they’re going in and out,” Hamilton said. “We wanted to make sure that they were aware of what is going on so we told them about how someone is going around taking things from rooms that were left unlocked.”

Browne said keeping doors locked is paramount in preventing the intruder from entering dorm rooms.

“Additionally, we also tell students to never prop open exterior doors to residence halls and don’t hold open a door for someone to follow you in,” she said. “Although that seems courteous, the truth is, people who need to enter a residence hall are the residents, and they have Action Card access.”

Briana Harris contributed to this article.