2008 Woodie Awards
Campus theft tends to rise at term's end
Thefts during finals week may be due to increased studying and less security awareness
Judy McClintock
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Thefts on campus come in peaks and valleys, according to Director of Public Safety, Jay Carey.
The peaks, Carey said, occur toward the end of terms, when students are busy and therefore, sometimes, careless with their personal belongings.
Things are so intense during midterms and finals, Carey said, and students take their belongings with them to the library for studying.
They leave and “don’t pay attention,” Carey said, and when they come back, sometimes, “their things are gone.”
Students, Carey said, “are less focused on property and more on knowledge” at these peak times of studying.
Such thefts were heavy in the library during fall term, according to Public Services Librarian Janeanne Rockwell-Kincanon.
The rise in thefts prompted Public Safety to hang customary signs around the library encouraging students to watch their belongings. The signs, according to Kincanon, have been up since the fall and “there is no active replacement of them.”
The thefts have gone done since the fall, said Kincanon, but signs have remained up as a courtesy reminder.
In accordance with Carey, Kincanon said, “very typical before the end of the term for book theft to go up because thieves are wanting to resale the books.”
“People will leave their book bags at a computer work station while they make a quick run to the bathroom,” Kincanon said, “and those can be grabbed so easily, and who knows what else is going to be in the book bags?”
In addition to books, Carey said various items are stolen around campus, including bookbags, textbooks, cellphones, purses, cd players, and MP3 players.
“Anything you can think of [gets stolen],” said Carey.
For books, Carey said sometimes thieves can be tracked down if they chose to resell them to the Western bookstore. “The bookstore has a way of tracking these books,” he said, “and a couple of times we have made restitution.”
One of the dangers on a school campus, according to Carey, is people becoming too comfortable. “This becomes home,” he said, “and by getting more comfortable students forget to be security-conscious.”
With the end of the term approaching, both Kincanon and Carey urge students to use common sense, good observation skills, and keep all belongings with them while studying around campus.
“You’re responsible for your own safety,” Carey said.
While the pressures of finals weigh heavy on students, and they trot to the library for study sessions, Kincanon says to “keep your stuff with you and have a library buddy.”