It’s not yet December, and Wesleyan students have already stolen $19,000 worth of silverware, plates, bowls, and cups from dining services locations on campus.
The university senate is trying to figure out a way to stop the rampant theft from Bon Appetit, cafes on campus as part of the university’s dining services, reports the Wesleyan Argus:
This semester, Bon Appetit has replaced 1440 black bowls, 1536 coffee mugs, 1584 tumblers, as well as 7164 utensils.
“People feel like they are entitled to everything,” Strumpf said. “When you go out to eat at a nice restaurant do people think they can take the china and tablecloth too? Last I checked, room and food was included, not utensils.”
Members of the Dining Committee of the WSA are beginning to tackle the problem through a variety of campaigns.
“The problem is that everyone looks around and sees other people stealing, so they assume it’s fine,” said Dining Committee member Nicole Softness ’14. “They also use the excuse that, ‘I’ve already paid for this, so I’m not stealing.’ It’s true, you’re not stealing from Usdan or Bon Appetit. You’re stealing from yourselves, and others who would want to take advantage of the really neat things Bon Appetit and Usdan could do if they didn’t have to pay over $14,000 a semester to replace cutlery.”
Just to throw it out there for you: The median SAT score for Wesleyan students is 1400, and the total cost of attendance per year is $55,706.
