local
Battalion/Page 3
February 21, 1983
!$ Thefts decline at A&M
by Mallous Kazemzadeh
XahachietM Battalion Reporter
L p r num t>e r of reported
i thefts at Texas A&M this semes-
ex l )e[1Sf:! p r have decreased, compared to
t ®fi!i,.ffc ur es from last year.
Iv (Jecrease especially can
be noticed in the Memorial Stu-
Jent Center bookstore. Book
store manager Howard L. De
Hart attributes a decline in
Solen books to the newly instal
led security system.
“At one time, before the new
ly.hewot
^ it in the .
theediti
thought
thatfelfh
1 the mad
‘ as we ^' Hcurity system, losses were up
1 hide all;fto $1,000 a month,” DeHart
>s forsnotiBid. “It was a serious problem
id all airlittBecause of the multitude of
the tt: Books that were stolen.”
andonedoB S' nce t ^ ie i nsta ll ment of the
system, however, the book-
ididlyco: i ,re P5- age rate has been r l f-
. ftltced by 75 percent or more, he
oes mdet(|g |(: j 7 1
Us in kp Thg security system consists
i ' Boston, 1 ((f plain clothes security people
'orWaxiii’lio watch for shoplifters, a
is hopebtt paining program for employees
ter woniltf educate them in detecting
avre RmiB )S sible shoplifters and an
;( |] |1K alarm which is activated when a
[book is taken from the store
without being desensitized.
1 DeHart said a metallic strip is
imbedded in all the books and is
iesensitized when the book is
purchased. If the strip is not de-
■nsitized, an alarm is activated
when the book is taken out of the
Store.
Although most thefts occur in
ihe lower level bookstore in the
BSC, the main floor facility is
Bcond in petty theft rate, he
said.
Since most thefts on the main
floor occur around the precision
Instruments and pen counters,
preventive measures were taken
tb reduce this problem, DeHart
“Undercover security people
Jvpre added to that area along
'ith cameras around the' store,"
ie said. “We also put in elavated
watch stations so our people can
see store activity.”
■ Another addition to security
procedures includes a check-in
indow where students can
eck in their belongings. Pack
ages and backpacks are no lon
ger permitted into the book
store.
“Rather than putting belong
ings on the floor or in shelves,
students can check their belong
ings in at the window in a matter
If minutes,” he said.
■ Sometimes books are stolen
from students and sold back to
the bookstore for cash. Now
jwhen books are brought back
for sale, student I.D. numbers
staff photo by Irene Mees
Kassem Al-Zubeidi, a senior civil
engineering major from Palestine,
checks his books and calculator to
Deborah Jessup,
engineering major
sophomore civil
at the package
security booth at the MSC Bookstore.
HIS
are recorded so the students can
be traced if necessary.
“Not only does the store have
problems of people taking
things from us, but the students
have the problem of people tak
ing from them — and that
hurts,” DeHart said.
He added that with all of the
new security measures, the
number of thefts have gone
down considerably.
But the main objective is not
to catch thieves, rather to try to
curtail and prevent shoplifting,
he said.
If a student is caught shoplift
ing, not only will he be embar
rassed, but he also will either
face criminal charges or suspen
sion from school, DeHart said.
“We are doing a better job of
implementing security systems
in order to help students — sho
plifters as well as non
shoplifters,” he said.
Lloyd Smith, assistant dire
ctor of food services said the
number of stolen backpacks
from Sbisa Dining Hall also has
decreased.
Although there is no appa
rent reason for this decline, only
a few instances of stolen books
and backpacks have been re
ported this semester, he said.
A few cases could have been
avoided if students had taken
precautions with their belong
ings, Smith said. In one instance,
a student left his book un
attended, and it was stolen. The
student then went to the book
store to purchase another book
and bought his same book back
within an hour.
In order to protect students,
free lockers have been installed
in Sbisa, but not even 10 percent
of the lockers are used, he said.
“Since books are of value,
they’re the first thing to be
taken, yet students still pile up
their belongings on the floor or
on tables,” Smith added.
Detective John Phillips of the
campus police also emphasized
that students should be more
careful with their things. He said
although the number of stolen
wallets reported from DeWare
Field House has decreased, the
thefts still could have been
avoided.
Students playing racquetball
often leave their wallets on win
dow ledges while playing inside
the room, he said. They return
to find that their wallets have
been stolen.
Not only have thefts from De-
Ware and the bookstore de
creased, but overall theft of bicy
cles, typewriters and similar
items also has decreased.
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ing or non-conventional work to the Gallery between 10 & 2 this
week. Sponsored by MSC Arts Committee.
Prefab home zoning
called discriminatory
fTlcovn
Serving
Luncheon Buffet
Sunday through Friday
11:00 a.m. to 1:30
by Michelle Powe
Battalion Reporter
Many Texans who cannot
afford to buy a home con
structed at the homesite are de
nied the option of buying a
manufactured home due to dis
criminatory zoning ordinances,
says the area president of the
Texas Manufactured Housing
Association.
Jo Ann Nunn, president of
the Brazos Valley Chapter of the
TMHA, said many cities have
exclusionary zoning regulations
which prohibit people from
moving manufactured homes
inside the city’s jurisdiction.
Most cities, she said, still treat
modern manufactured homes
as if they are temporary shelters.
Examples are trailer homes or
motor homes because at one
time the only manufactured
homes available were trailer
homes.
But buying a manufactured
home and moving it to a residen
tial area can be less expensive
than buying a home built at the
site, Nunn said.
Currently, manufactured
homes are being constructed
that look as if they were built on
site, but the discrimination by
the cities still occurs, she said.
^ “It is discrimination against
poor people,” Nunn said. “Up-
g er class people can afford to
uy expensive, new houses.”
College Station is zoned to
prohibit any home that is not
“stick-built” at the site, she said,
and Bryan is considering chang
ing zoning regulations so they
will be the same as College Sta
tion regulations.
Nunn said Bryan has been
unsuccessful in changing its zon
ing regulations because zoning
is such an emotional issue.
If the proposed zoning reg
ulations pass, she said, and the
city is able to tell people where
they can live, “it will turn
brother against brother.”
The cities already have more
than enough power, she said,
and the regulations will
them more.
give
Attempts to prevent these
zoning regulations may be per
ceived as attempts to restrict city
power, but the need for afford
able housing must be dealt with,
Nunn said.
FLU TREATMENT IS HERE
A study using the new drug Ribavirin
is going on at the Beutel Health Center
If you have Flu Symptoms
- Fever
- Muscle Aches
- Chills
- Sore Throat
Come to the health Center within the first 24
hours of illness and ask for the Flu Doctors (day
or night-Flu Fighters don’t sleep)
You may win a paid vacation (about $112.00) in the Health Center
Dr. John Quarles
845-1313
HOCH