Everyone’s done it. Pilfered a fork. Sneaked a bottle of ketchup into a backpack. Weaseled a coffee mug under the folds of a sweatshirt. Many Boston University students said dining hall theft is a popular activity on campus.
But Campus Dining Hall Services Director Joshua Hubbard said student theft costs Dining Services a significant amount of money each year to replace items stolen daily.
“Theft is unfortunate because it costs the school quite a bit, which thus impacts the cost of dining plans and the quality of service available,” Hubbard said. “Our goal as a dining service is to provide the best possible service to students, but there have certainly been times where students cannot find a tray at GSU or a fork in the dining hall. Theft is definitely a challenge to this goal.”
Many students said they have the right to take what they please from the dining halls, citing high tuition and meal costs.
“We pay so much money to go here, we shouldn’t feel guilty about stealing from the dining halls,” said College of Communication freshman Carla Bianchetto.
College of Engineering freshman Ryan Han agreed.
“We’re not stealing,” Han said. “We’re just getting what we paid for.”
Silverware and flatware are consistently replaced each year in order to maintain a steady amount, according to Hubbard. Dining Services spends time planning to account for the loss, he said.
“At the end of the year, we ask people to donate stolen items back,” Hubbard said. “This, combined with the items students leave behind in their rooms at the end of the semester, tends to be moderately successful, but definitely does not come close to fully replacing the amount lost.”
Some students blamed their “borrowing” habits on the lack of availability of certain items.
“They don’t have enough ketchup at Late Nite Cafe´,” said Brian Bueno, an ENG freshman. “This forces us to find a new means for survival in the cutthroat world of college dining.”
Hubbard emphasized that many students do not see the “big picture” when they steal items from dining halls.
“In Warren Towers alone, close to 5,000 meals are served a day,” he said. “If everyone who ate there takes a piece of silverware, it adds up.”
When considering the consequences of their actions, many students agree there is little punishment for dining hall theft, which is why they take advantage of the lenient policy.
“I don’t really think about the consequences,” said Brian McGuinness, a College of Arts and Sciences junior. “I give my left arm for my tuition every year, so I feel completely justified in borrowing food and utensils for my shoebox of a room.”
Some students related other dining theft stories.
“Stealing is pretty easy,” affirmed John Hoebbel, a COM freshman. “One time my friend stole a chair from the West Campus Dining Hall.”
“I stole a Halloween decoration, and the guy that guards the door confronted me about it,” said Neil Patel, an ENG freshman. “I told him that I got it at CVS, and after a short while, he let me go. Situations like this make us students more creative in our responses and in dealing with confrontational issues.”
Dining Services workers can’t confront anyone they don’t see take something.
“Most theft is prevented by vigilance,” Hubbard said. “If we catch sight of it, we stop it. We don’t want to implant any crazy policies. Preventing backpacks in dining halls might help, but I’m sure that students would agree that such a measure is unrealistic.”
Despite the amount of theft, Hubbard said Dining Services does not have any immediate plans to remedy the situation.
“We’re going to continue with what we do now,” Hubbard said. “Ultimately, we ask that people realize the impact that [stealing] has, and hopefully this will prevent people from doing it in the first place.”
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