Thirty-nine years ago this week, The Student reported an increase in stealing across campus. But Campus Police were convinced the acts were not malicious or premeditated. New signs were posted in the Valentine coatroom warning students of the increase in thefts and urging them not to leave their belongings unattended.

But it was not just coats that were stolen. Often, bicycles were reported missing. "Someone simply used them to get where he was going," said Police Chief Francis O'Connell.

In addition to a rise in the "borrowing" of bicycles, the library reported an increase in the theft of books and magazines. "Some students walk a tight rope between honesty and dishonesty," said a member of the library administration.

The library was continually forced to replace missing magazines because students failed to sign them out. Until 1961, there was a Paperback Loan System that was discontinued because of theft. Many students failed to return the books they borrowed. According to The Student, books that were lost or never returned "totaled in the many hundreds."