(Kevin Kadooka -- The Beacon)
By Luke Riela, Staff Writer -- Riela14@up.edu
Are you puzzled to see the Naked Juices sharing the same cooler as the brownies, instead of with all the other beverages in The Commons? Because thieves have been taking advantage of the beverages' previous location, Bon Appétit put the $3.75 drinks out of reach of those unwilling to pay.
Last Friday, Naked Juice returned to The Commons after Bon Appétit removed them for a week.
"We held them until we could find a method to reduce theft," Kenneth Bong, Bon Appétit dining manager, said.
Before the Naked Juices were moved, Bong said a considerable amount of the beverages were stolen from the cooler across from the salad bar.
"We were actually losing money off the Naked Juices because of thefts," Bong said.
According to Kirk Mustain, general manager of Bon Appétit, the few students who steal inconvenience the many who do not.
"It's not fair to the students who are actually paying," he said.
Bong agreed.
"It's not everybody that steals, but it hurts everybody," Bong said.
During the week The Commons stopped selling Naked Juices, some students became irritated.
"This takes options out of The Commons that already lacks options," sophomore Jordan LaBrec said.
However, the problems with thefts extend past Naked Juice.
"Other products are being stolen. Naked Juices are just the easiest to track," Bong said.
The new positioning of the Naked Juice is just one of the measures being taken to decrease theft in The Commons.
Bong said that Bon Appétit employees have begun randomly checking for student receipts. In addition, a receipt for grill food items, including hamburgers and fries, must be shown in order to receive the food.
At the beginning of the year, there weren't many precautions taken to limit theft.
"Starting out, it was just the honor system," Bong said.
According to Mustain, theft occurs more often in The Commons than in The Cove due to more blind spots in The Commons.
"In The Commons, there are just so many areas to duck around," he said.
According to Bong, those who steal items, like Naked Juice, from The Commons will typically throw it into a backpack or just walk away with it in their hands.
The people who steal from The Commons who aren't students receive standard punishment, according to Bong.
"If someone from off campus gets caught with theft, we press charges," Bong said.
However, in the case of the students, a different penalty is implemented.
"We pull their ID and make a copy to send to Natalie Shank," Bong said.
Natalie Shank, assistant director of Residence Life, decides how students should repay the UP community for violating the rules. She emphasized that every punishment is assigned individually.
"Everything is done on a case-by-case basis," Shank said.
According to Shank, punishment for theft may include giving back to the community, writing an essay or some sort of probation.
There is no specific penalty that is applied for stealing a Naked Juice, for instance, since it is dependent on the details of the theft.
"Theft is something that can be very serious," Shank said, "but there is a difference between stealing a computer and stealing a Naked Juice."
Bong stated that students shouldn't feel uncomfortable about reporting thefts.
"It's cool that people approach us, and it's important that they feel comfortable doing so," he said.
With the Naked Juice's relocation, among other security changes to The Commons, Bong hopes that less time will be devoted to preventing theft.
"We shouldn't have to be watching over people, we should be looking over the stations," he said.
