[Note: This article has been updated with a photo and additional comments from Assistant Director Sue Kovacs.]

MISSING CASH? YOU'RE not the only one. A recent surge of thefts around Uni has many wondering if these incidents are simply an anomaly or if they are sign of changing times.

According to Kovacs, the severity and frequency of thefts have been increasing during the past two months. There have been approximately ten thefts which have been reported to her.

“There have been more thefts than I have sent e-mails about, and they have been continuous since mid-September, just little things here and there,” said Kovacs. “There seems to be an increasing number of thefts, and there also seems to be an increase in the severity of them.”

A recent e-mail sent by Kovacs described two thefts which involved taking money from personal belongings. The first was an unspecified amount of money taken from a parent’s messenger bag, the second was $50 from someone’s backpack.

Although University of Illinois police have only been called in to investigate one theft which involved someone stealing junior Cheng Luo's backpack, the option to call the police is open to everyone who reports a theft.

"When someone reports a theft to me I always ask them if they want to call the police," said Kovacs. "Only one person has taken that option."

What determines whether someone decides to call the police is usually related to the amount of money stolen and whether or not the victim can say it was purposefully stolen and not just borrowed.

"People know if they haven't put their purses in their locker that they are liable [for theft], and because of that they often choose not to get the police involved," said Kovacs. "But even if you knew that someone had stolen a quarter from your locker, you could call the police."

While these thefts could be attributed to outsiders coming into Uni, there has been an indication of possible student involvement.

“There was an off-site event where a cell phone was stolen which indicates that these thefts might be done by a Uni student,” said Kovacs.

The attitude of the Uni community in general tends to be scornful toward these thefts because they seem to threaten the carefree lifestyle, complete with unlocked lockers, that everyone loves so dearly.

“This is knocking on the shell of the Uni community,” said Kovacs. “It makes me very angry. It makes me so angry that if I wasn’t assistant director I would take a belt out …”

On the other hand, some noted that the casual atmosphere in Uni's halls may be part of the problem.

“I would hate to see it get to the point where they have to start locking lockers, because that’s one of the things that strikes people about Uni,” said history teacher Chris Butler, who has taught at the school since 1979. “On the other hand [not locking lockers] might be part of the problem in tempting people.”