Opinion > October 9, 2008

The recently publicized report of an increase in the number of thefts on campus deeply disturbs us.

This, coupled with the ugliness that Juicy Campus has come to embody (as recently decried by President Hatch), makes us fear that our university’s close-knit, big-family, small-school feel is tearing at the seams. Our safe bubble is hurting.

Although nobody can be completely sure as to exactly who is causing this surge in stealing — obviously because not all the criminals have been caught and exposed — we hate having to admit that we believe students may be primarily behind it.

Why would students at this university decide to purposefully take things from their fellow students? It is hard to believe that this is a question that we’re actually having to ponder. It’s sad and sickening, in fact. Especially when we consider that so many students at our university are from well-to-do backgrounds.

Okay, there’s a fact to think about right there. The truth of the matter is, lots of students here have nice things. One need not walk further than the quad to notice Lacoste shirts, iPhones and ThinkPads on display everywhere.

It doesn’t make sense, however, that students of similar status would want to steal things that they already possess or could easily get.

This makes us think that there’s something deeper behind the problem, something darker, more disturbing. That is to say that envy cannot be the only cause and although coveting is not excusable, it’s something to be predicted.

Perhaps there is a new contingency among the perpetrators that it’s a thrill to steal, and it doesn’t matter or it’s not a problem as long as they do not get caught. We simply don’t know why this phenomenon is happening.

But what about Pro Humanitate? You know, that motto that underpins all of what our university does? That’s the one that says that we should be for humanity and do things to help other human beings. What about the Golden Rule? The concept behind lots of religions, many of which are represented at our school, that asks to do to others as you’d like others to do to you.

To the students who are stealing, if it is in fact students, we say “come clean.”

Consider the effects your actions are having on your fellow students, your fellow human beings. This goes for whoever the thieves are, actually — for any crime, for that matter.

To everybody else on campus, we say, “be careful, be smart.” It’s a sad day when we have to tell people to watch their things, but the campus is not as safe as it once was.

Finally, to the administration, we ask for a response. Although we do not want our school to become a police state equipped with cameras on every corner, something still should be done to help ensure the safety of students and their property. We hope that University Police will continue to be a strong force for good in their response to this phenomenon.

Davidson College could work as a good model for policy. Their honor code is so strictly upheld that we’ve noticed their students do not fear thefts at all.

Although we’re glad we still don’t have the crime problems that some larger universities do, we don’t want to.