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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 1981)
Emerald Vol 83, No 31 Eugene, Oregon 97403 Friday, October 16, 1981 Locks, chains don’t stop bike thieves By ANN PORTAL Of me Emerald Like the returning of students, it's an annual cycle At least two — and as many as five — bikes have been stolen at the University every day since the beginning of the term, according to crime prevention specialist Karen Riley But she says Campus Securi ty won't recover many of the bikes, which are mostly 10-speeds worth at least $100 "If you don’t know your (bike's) serial number, you're never going to get it back,'' Riley says Bike thieves are cutting chains, picking locks, taking removable wheels and bike pumps and even throwing locked bikes into the back of pick-ups, vans and cars, she says One student reported to Campus Security Thursday that his two bikes — valued at $600 — had been stolen the night before, says Sgt Rick Allison of the Eugene Police Department The student said he was too tired to lock the bikes when he got home Allison says To slow down bike thieves, Campus Security began a strict program of enforcing University bike regulations Thursday Campus Security will con centrate on impounding un registered bikes, issuing parking citations and educating students on how to properly lock bikes "We are going full force right now,” Riley says But students will have to help if thefts are to be stopped she says Many bikes are being taken during the day — clipped with bolt cutters on which the handle has been shortened, allowing the clippers to be carried in jackets and packs Within five seconds, thieves can pull out the clippers, cut a chain and return the clippers to their packs, Riley says Yet students frequently observe bikes being stolen — even carried away, she says “There's a lot more students than police and security They see a lot more things than we do.” Students need to be assertive and ask people what they are doing if something looks suspicious, which often is en ough to rattle nervous thieves, she says Although Campus Security members say they expect students will get upset about impounded bikes, they say the action is necessary to get all bikes registered Campus Security will cut the chains of unregistered bikes and take them to the security office, Riley says To reclaim bikes, students will have to pay a $2 impounding fine, the $2 registration fee — which is good for four years — and any addi tional fines for improper parking, she says Registration helps in two ways, Riley says. First, serial numbers of recovered bikes can be entered into a computer sys tem, helping to return bikes taken to cities like Los Angeles by bike theft rings Second, the serial number is the only means of positively identifying a bike, she says Even if students find their bike, the thief may have resold it, and ownership would have to be proved in court, Riley says Allison suggests that students invest in a good chain — airplane-type cables are especially hard to cut through — and a solid lock Riley says she sees many bikes with “a good chain and a lock I could pick in two min utes." A new type of high security lock — about $30 — is good because there is no chain. Alli son says, adding that bike stores can help students select locks Link chains and com bination locks should be avoid ed, he says Where the bike is locked can be just as important as the type of lock used, Riley says. Bikes should be secured to a Photo by Bob Baker The University is impounding unregistered bikes on campus in an attempt to slow down bike thefts, which have increased to 5 per day. stationary object, she says, warning that locking bikes to trees is against campus regula tions Allison cautions students with expensive bikes to be especially cautious because bike theives have been known to follow the bike owner, watching and wait ing for the best opportunity to steal the expensive vehicle Students can register their bikes at the public safety department in Straub Hall, located on 14th Street across from the covered tennis courts Photo by Bob Baker Students blush to flush Put this on the list ot things Mother never told you — unisex bathrooms Lawrence Hall is fast becoming infamous for not one, but two of these liberated commodes Students who admit to using the third-floor bathrooms, say they feel a little insecure and, as one student put it, the situation has to be one of "dire need." Reluctance to talk about "them" was high, but most found some humor in the innovative lavatory. "My dad said to never go in where there are urinals," says Kathy Schutt, an architecture graduate student “Mom wouldn't approve of these ambisextrous toilets,” says Roger Allams, an exchange student from Great Britain The doors to the bathrooms say "people'' — among other things — and the windows in one of the bathrooms provide a nice view of Allen Hall "I wash my hands in there, but I don't even like to do that because I hate to embarass myself," says Janet Flemmer, a fourth-year landscape student. Alumni gather to applaud student co-op expansion By KIRK KNIGHTON Ol the Emerald Student cooperatives are on the rise again at the University The Campbell Club Student Coopera tive made it official last Saturday by throwing a day-and-night-long alumni party, marking the opening of the new Janet K Smith Co-op Campbell Club has been around — in one form or another — since 1936, and Saturday's party brought together co-op alumni from as far back as the original housemates These "old-time campus socialists’’ — as several of them referred to themselves — mingled affably with present-day co op members, discussing, among other things, the 45 years of politics between them They gathered to celebrate Campbell Club’s acquisition of the house on the corner of 18th Avenue and Alder Street, now called Janet K Smith Co-op, after the woman who started the University’s first women’s co-op Campbell Club is named after Wallace Campbell, the mastermind behind the University's first men's co-op But such was the order of the day in 1936 — today the co-ops are co-ed The party also marked the end of a 16-month financial battle as well as relief and happiness for at least one present co-op member, Steve Brye “Two years ago Campbell Club became financially strong enough to expand," Brye said Brye and other co op members forsaw the current hard economic times at the University "We felt there would be a need for another co-op at the University since co-ops are the cheapest way to go," he said A prospectus was passed around to all of the co-op's members, and an over whelming majority agreed to make a go at expansion An expansion committee was formed with Brye as its chairer After locating a suitable house, the committee secured loans from the National Consumers Co-op Bank, as well as a Community Development Block Grant from West University Neighbor hood They bought the house in June, gave it its name, and members moved in this term Smith Co-op members have spent a lot of effort literally "getting the bugs out” of their house, with a new foundatign built to replace one infested with termites and carpenter ants Both Campbell Club and the Janet K Smith Co-op are nearly filled, and as long as the economy remains sluggish Brye says they will stay that way. "Historically speaking, co-ops have always done well in times of tight mon ey," he says. But at Saturday’s party co-op members and alumni all agreed that "co-ops have always done well.”
