AU officials recently circulated an e-mail to students, asking for the return of stolen University property by Oct. 18 with no penalties.
The property, worth a total of $7,311.30 in replacement costs, includes 10 Marketplace barstools, a Tavern booth seat, 30 Butler Board Room chairs and one Tavern high table, according to the e-mail.
Scott Jones, the University Center’s director of operations, said the replacement costs come out of student tuition, as the University Center’s budget is funded directly by tuition dollars.
The 10 bar stools were stolen during Welcome Week and the rest of the items have been taken over the course of the semester, according to Jones.
Jones said this year’s thefts have been “completely excessive,” and this is the most that has been stolen in one semester in his nearly seven years at AU.
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Adding It Up: 10 Marketplace Bar Stools, total replacement cost is $3,475 SOURCE: Student Activities |
The items might seem expensive to students — one barstool costs nearly $350 — but Jones said the prices are typical of industrial-grade standards.
“It’s a higher grade than something like IKEA,” he said, adding that the inventory has been in use for five to seven years.
Jones is encountering problems ordering replacements, however. Some of the fabrics for the items have been discontinued, and some items have been discontinued altogether.
“It’s definitely costing more to replace these items than if they were simply returned,” he said.
The Department of Public Safety did not respond to request for comment by press time.
sdazio@theeagleonline.com
