Friday. March 1, lm

SCARLET AND BLACK

lug. Five

 

} Theft

Continued from Page 1

another male Student Shopliited frequent-
ly from the Bookstore last year, and en-
gaged in ”sort of an understood game to
see who could steal the most and in the
neatest way." The girl said that steal-
ing from the Bookstore and dimng halls
is “fun,” and added that she steals books
for other students at their request. she
explained diat she feels no guilt about
stealing from "rich people and institu«
tions," but that she wouldn't steal from
“another student or a very small busi‘
nessmn.” The girl claimed that she
also shoplifts from stores in downtown
Grinnell, and that her contempt lor‘ the
private property concept is in part
responsible for her actions. Throughout
the interview she spoke cheerlully, but
her mood became less jovial when she
noted that she is sometimes apprehen—
sive about being caught in the act of
stealing.

Another male student who was inter-
viewed conlldentially disclosed a method
by which he steals several gallons or
milk a week from SAGA Food Service
without it being missed. “SAGA screws
me by making me pay ior meals I don’t
eat, so I don't care about Stealing from
them. Besides, most of the milk is for
my Cat, and I can't afford to buy it,” he
explained. He said that he also steals
clothes from the Athletic Department
and contended that “most of the other
jocks do, too." He added that he ieels no
guilt about stealing from SAGA or the
College because “with institutions the
loss is so spread out."

A different student shoplifter comment-
ed that "the Bookstore makes big pro-
fits and screws students.” He said that
he once went into the Bookstore with
five dollars to buy a paperback text-
book, but the eleven dollar price so out-
raged him that he stole the book instead.

some students use special coats to
make shop"ing from the Bookstore
easier than it already is. One boy has a
special trencheoat with large pockets
that can easily hold books. Another
student has made a slit in the lining of
his winter coat to form a concealed
packet which facilitates shoplirting large
merchandise from the Bookstore.

It is impossible to ascertaln exactly
how much the College Bookstore loses
annually us a result bi theft. Treasuicr
Lamlbie noted that “losses from the
Bookstore are consistent.” and cited ciga-
reties and candy as the items which weve

particularly vulnerable to theit. Samuel
Wassom, manager at the College Book»
store, said he realizes that there is “some

' student theft,” but he doesn’t think “a

great portion" of studenis steal from the
store.

Wassom said that inventories of the
Bookstore taken at the end of each fis-
cal year always show “some shrinkage,"
but pointed out that some 01 that “shrinlb
age" could be attributed to mark-downs
and sales during the year. He reinsed to
say how much “shrinkage" the Boole
store usually Sutlers. Asked to estimate
roughly the store's losses due to sh0p<
lifting, Wassom said that he couldn't.
but he noted that variety stores in dowfk
town Grinnell estimate their loss at about
two percent.

Wassom pointed out that when the
Bookstore was relocated in Carnegie

basement in 1960 several steps were talk
in to prevent shoplifting from the store,
including the installation or mirrors and
turnstyles “to force people leaving the
store to pass by the cashiers," ln addi~
tion, students who enter the Bookstore
are asked to leave books and other per-
sonal belongings on a shelf near the door.
“We Watch and try to be alert," Wassum
added.

No students have been caught shoplift-
ing recently in the Bookstore, according
to Wassorn. Asked what actions are tak-
en when a student is caught stealing an
item, he replied, “I get them to pay for
it."

Library Books — ‘Serious Problem'

Theft of books from Burling Library
Constltutes “a serious problem” which
is “very hard to guard against," ae

 

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cording to College Librarian Henry AL
den, although he doesn't like to refer to
students as ”thievﬁ." He estimated that
the Library loses “thousands 01 volume:
a year,”

Alden recalled that guesswork follow-
ing an inventory six years ago indicated
that the Library lost soon a year in
stolen books, and he pointed out that
book prices have nearly doubled since
then. The Library has abandoned the
policy or yearly inventories for economic
reasons, but the staff continues to make
spot-checks occasionally.

if Alden is correct, the problem shows
no signs of disappearing. For example.
he said, the Library acquired the very
expensive Encyclopedia or Social Science
just six weeks ago, and already three
volumes are missing. He pointed out that
the “taking" 01 reference books by Stu-

dents is unnecessary, because when a
special request is made. they can often
be checked out.

“Many books disappear and come
back, Alden continued, “but others
don't.” He thinks that many students
“borrow" books but either carelessly or
deliberately tail to Check them out, mak-
ing it impossible to locate the books when
another student requests the same ones.
He believes that “only a small number
of students actually steal books from the
Library,” although “occasionally a stu-
dent deliberately takes a book to pre-
vent another student with whom he is
competing ior grades lrom using it."

Alden said the Student Government
Association launched an active campaign
to cut down lib rat ry theft five
years ago. He said it entailed discussing
the problem in house meetings and pro-
viding boxes for the return of all books
at the end of the semester. ”It's more a
matter or depending upon a student’s
sense of responsibility to his fellow stu<
dents than on his responsibility to the
College" Alden believes

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Contact Lenses

Cases and
Solutions

Eyes Examined
Phone 236-3979

E. l. Jensen, on.

OPTOMETRIST

Across from Post Office

closed Thurs. PM.
and Sat. PM.

He said that it costs nearly five dol-
lars to order and process a book be-
{are it goes on the Library's shelves, in
addition to the book's cost. “But it's not
only ihe money." he elaborated. “Many
books in the library are out of print and
irreplacable when they are stolen."

Alden sees no way oi preventing theft
{rpm the Library except to appeal to
the siudents' sense of conscience. “It's
not the runction or a library to provide
mounted guards to frisk people," he
asserted, and pointed out that techniques
such as turnstyles and magnetic detec-
iion devices to prevent library theft are
very expensive and easily foiled by sni-
dents who want to steal books. The Lie
brary's most Valuable books, which are
mainly early publications or the College,
are kept locked in a vault in Burling
basement to prevent their theft or dear
ti-uction.

One of the most daring thefts at Grin-
hell in reoent years was the purlaining
of the President’s Medallion from it:
showcase in Burling last year during the
middle of the night. The Medallion was
recovered several days later in the Li-
brary, and its disappearance was attri-
buted to student pranksters who had hid-
den in the building until after closmg
timer Alden observed that the Medallion
should never have been on display in
Burling (“This isn’t a museuml”), and
speculated that ihe theft probably in—
fluenced the decision to remove the
display permanently.

SAGA Suffers

“There are also severe losses from
students tak'ng silverware from the
dining halls according to Treasurer
Lamble. Missing silverware had to be
replaced twice last year at a cost or
between five and Six hundred dollars.
Clarence “Saga Chuck" Hand, Food Sere
vice Director. said that silverware, salt-
shakers, ashtrnys and dishes must be
replaced often because so many students
take them from dining halls. Hand said
that the students eventually have to pay
for the stolen articles through increased
board lees. Hand explained that he is
periectly willing to lend surplus utensils
to students who ask to borrow them.

THEFT—
cimdnued on Page 1, Column 1

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