A rash of thefts of women's undergarments has swept the MIT campus this month, prompting the police there to organize a campus-wide search for the culprit based on a composite sketch of the man thought to be the perpetrator of the crimes.

"Brassiers, panties, leotards, and bathing suits," are being stolen from washers and driers, Anne Glavin, sergeant with the Campus Police, said yesterday, adding that there were a number of suspects.

Women's undergarments have been stolen in six dormitories, but the most thefts were reported from McCormick Hall, the only all-female housing at MIT. More than 20 thefts have taken place there since October 7.

Julie E. Hashem, a freshman living in McCormick, said yesterday that residents have had to take shifts to guard their laundry. Lisa C. Tener, a sophomore, took her turn in the laundry room because, "It's really expensive to replace your underwear."