Recent thefts from Huntington Gymnasium have renewed safety awareness on campus. Since January 25, three thefts have occurred at the facility.

“This is a fairly consistent issue that can occur from year to year,” Director of Campus Safety Gary Bean said.

Three wallets were stolen from the men’s locker room, a location with little security. Items of value that have not been properly secured are easy targets and there is little Campus Safety can do to minimize the threat of theft.

“Responsibility is placed on the owners of the property to secure their items,” Bean said.

Students are urged to check out locks from the Cage at the gymnasium or leave valuables at home. Campus Safety has issued posters on locker room doors advising students to properly secure any valuables. Employees have also been alerted to look for any suspicious activity.

Although the gymnasium is open to the public, it is believed that students committed the thefts.

It is common for half a dozen thefts to occur on campus per year, and so Campus Safety does not view the recent thefts as particularly unusual. Bean connected the gymnasium thefts to thefts from residence facilities, which occur at a similar frequency. Students are typically unconcerned with safety and leave their doors unlocked or valuables in the open. The only way to reduce thefts, therefore, is to make sure valuables are secured.

At this stage, Campus Safety is committed to raising public awareness about the threat of theft to encourage students to be more careful and responsible. Many students don’t seem to be bothered by the apparent “surge” in theft on campus; however, they acknowledge that students need to take responsibility for their own belongings or should avoid bringing items of value with them to unsecure locations.

“The thefts really don’t affect me since it would never occur to me to bring valuables to the gym and not either lock them up or keep them on me at all times,” sophomore Adam Zaniewski said. “I don’t think we’re all kindergartners here that don’t realize things get stolen. If there aren’t any items of value lying around, nobody will be able to steal them.”

Classmate Brian White reiterated Zaniewski’s point.

“I’ve never had anything stolen from the gym because I don’t take anything to the gym,” he said. “Students should just walk down there in their shorts and not bring anything with them that can be stolen.”