The VCCCD campus bookstores’ policy, which requires shoppers to leave their bags outside, might result in occasional petty theft, and can make students feel like criminals. We need to remember that such policies intend to serve our best interest.
Anyone who walks up to the bookstore is greeted by the numerous signs that forbid backpacks, purses and even notebooks. At this point, most of us throw down our belongings in the cubby-hole shelves, feeling annoyed and hoping that whatever we leave is still there when we come back for it.
At Moorpark and Oxnard campuses, these shelves are located outside of the bookstore entrance, and to the right of these shelves are a number of coin-return lockers that might alleviate our concerns. Anyone with a quarter can safely store their belongings, yet few students take advantage of this provision.
It seems ironic how we students are typically annoyed by the inconvenience of having to temporarily part with our belongings, yet are not quite concerned enough to take the time to reach into our pockets, grab a quarter, and stick our bags in a locker.
Personally, I spent my first few months at Moorpark rolling my eyes and feeling like I was in high school. For example, I was bewildered and outraged by the no smoking policy, and I don’t even smoke.
The regulation just seemed to indicate that the college did not respect its students’ right to make this personal choice. Even today, as I walk up to the bookstore and that dreaded sign, I admit that I still feel somewhat self righteous; why should I be treated like a thief? Why do I have to leave my bag outside and risk having it stolen, when I know that I have no intention or potential of stealing anything from this bookstore?
However, as frustrating as this all may be, we need to remind ourselves that school policies like this one work in our favor. After speaking to Dave Leyba, Director of Auxiliary Services at Moorpark College, I learned the facts behind this issue. First of all, all school policies are set to influence the needs and satisfaction of us students.
The policy does not stereotype college students as thiefs because it applies to anyone who enters the bookstore, including visitors, faculty, and students alike. Leyba said that the policy has been around for about 30 years, and therefore has been time-tested as an optimal deterrent of potential theft. Policy-makers throughout the VCCCD are concerned with the safety of shoppers’ personal belongings, and have taken several steps to ensure that items are stored safely.
During the frenzied first few weeks of each semester when the bookstore is packed with customers, employees manage a station so that shoppers can trade their belongings for a laminated number, which ensures that the stored items will be guarded and returned.
Throughout the year at Moorpark and Oxnard campuses, not only are the coin-return lockers available, but the entire entrance area is monitored by a surveillance camera, which is at the very least a deterrent to prevent potential theft.
At the Ventura campus bookstore, there are no lockers provided, but shoppers store their bags on shelves that lie within the bookstore.
The fact of the matter is that if everyone is allowed to bring large backpacks and bags inside the store, much more theft does occur, and consequentially, the prices at the bookstore will be raised to make up for the financial loss of the stolen inventory.
So next time you can’t help but feel angry when you leave your bag outside the store, remember to blame the people that actually made this imposition necessary. And for those who decide to score a free textbook once in a while, remember that in one way or another, all of us students are still paying for it.
