THE UNIVERSITY HAIRY KANSAN
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2009
NEWS
3A
THEFT (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
is up to a year in jail and a fine of $2,500." Little said.
According to the NASP, studies show the rush and impulse of stealing something and not being caught, called kleptomania, is the most common shoplifting motivator.
"I know the mentality," said
Capt. Schuyler Bailey of the University Public Safety Office. "It's not a very common occurrence on campus, but it does happen more often elsewhere."
"There's always a thrill of getting caught, but I never have."
For Sam,
Lawrence junior,
shoplifting began at age 5. He was on a trip to the grocery store with his mother. While at the checkout counter he spotted a pack of Bubblicious gum. Quietly, he stuck the gum in his pocket and left the store, unnoticed. Once home his luck ended.
SAM Lawrence junior
"My mom saw it and made me take it back," said Sam, who did not want to provide his last name.
Ever since the bubblegum incident Sam said he has become a regular shoplifter.
"It usually a split-second decision," he said. "There's always a thrill of getting caught, but I never have."
SHOPLIFTING PREVENTION METHODS
To minimize shoplifting losses, every store has its own method of preventing shoplifting. Larger chains, such as Wal-Mart and Kohl's, put signs up warning customers of the possible consequences of theft.
Smaller stores have a less con-
clubs have a less confrontational way of dealing with suspected shoplifters.
Rita York, General Manager of The Community Mercantile, a health food store on Ninth and Iowa Streets, said when employees suspected someone of shoplifting, they monitored them closely and, as suggested by the police department, would write the shoplifter a letter.
"We can't accuse somebody of shoplifting unless we're 100 percent positive and until after they have passed the point of purchase," York said. "When we do suspect someone, we write them a letter and hand it to them and say 'We're uncomfortable with your shopping patterns, you are no longer allowed to shop here.'"
York also said to prevent theft, The Merc has increased customer service and floor coverage and encourages engagement with customers so they know they are being watched.
According to a National Retail Security Survey, retailers lose an estimated $10 billion every year. The National Association of Shoplifting Prevention states that 89 percent of teenagers know somebody who shoplifts.
"The most common items people shoplift are vitamins and meat," York said. "Things that are more expensive."
Sam, however, said he tried not to steal things that were worth too much or to steal from local stores whose profits could be hurt by his actions. He said that as long as he continued to shoplift, he would probably get caught.
Alex Bonham-Carter/KANSAN
"I don't shoplift that often," he said. "And when I do, I don't take anything worth more than a couple dollars."
CONSEQUENCES OF SHOPLIFTING
Every merchant has his own way of dealing with shoplifting. The Merc, for example, bans shoplifters from the store and charges them for trespassing if they return.
Corporations such as Wal-Mart and Dillon's refused to discuss their shoplifting policies, simply saying, "consequences vary based on the situation."
Little said there was a range of possible ramifications for shoplifting.
$7 is deducted from their fine
Little said there were also alternatives for being arrested and fined. Sometimes an offender can pay off a fine by doing community service. For each hour they work,
"It's hard to say there's a typical," Little said of punishments. "If someone stole a pack of gum or a television it'll turn out differently."
"Through diversion you are never convicted," Little said. "You sign a contract with prosecutors office and pay a diversion fee of $352. Then you have to go to a theft class for a day."
$/ is deducted from their line.
A diversion program is also available for those who don't want the crime on their records.
A representative from Heartland Medical Clinic in Lawrence said theft classes required each participant to complete three one-hour
sessions. The sessions provide individual cognitive counseling to address "errors in thinking," empathy for others and values.
After Willey was caught for shoplifting at Wal-Mart, he decided to go through with the diversion program.
"I had to borrow money from my mom to get a lawyer and go to court," Willey said. "At that point, I felt like they were stealing money from me."
Willey said that since getting
caught, he hasn't shoplifted.
If Wille were to shoplift again and get caught he could face jail time, a fine and a possible felony charge, all depending on the item stolen.
"It felt so surreal." Willey said. "I'd shoplift a lot before and never gotten caught. It wasn't worth what I had to go through afterwards."
Edited by Megan Morriss
GOVERNMENT
University's veterans wait for benefits to arrive at KU
BY BETH BEAVERS bbeavers@kansan.com
The first semester for the Post-9/11 GI Bill has been a bumpy one. According to the Veterans Administration, veterans with at least 90 days of active duty after September 11, 2001 are eligible to receive benefits that include tuition, fees, housing and text books. The Post-9/11 GI Bill opened up these benefits to 25,000 veterans, according to the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
Felix Zacharias, Wichita senior and President of the KU Collegiate Veterans Association, said the VA, which is in charge of processing and printing the benefit checks, was not prepared to deal with the number of veterans who applied.
"The VA had an infrastructure in place," Zacharias said. "They were having 2,500 applicants a day but were still running on the old system with no new operators."
enough cash to get through a few weeks."
Zacharias said the VA announced on Aug. 20 there would be a six to eight week delay for the checks, which average about $1,400 a month for full-time students.
"It doesn't sound that bad," he said. "But some veterans only had
Daniel Craig, St. Joseph, Mo.
freshman and treasurer of KU
Collegiate Veterans Association,
said veterans expected to come to college
and begin receiving the payments immediately. But when they didn't, they began complaining. He said the VA decided to issue emergency checks that would cover the months missed and get all of the veterans
The VA also said they would send representatives to schools with large veteran populations, but that did not happen.
"Some veterans only had enough cash to get through a few weeks."
"The reason I got was that the security issue of accessing sensitive
FELIX ZACHARIAS Wichita senior
on a regular payment schedule. Zacharias said the biggest issue with the emergency checks was the only way to get them was in person at a regional office. The closest regional office is in Wichita, a two and a half hour drive from Lawrence.
information would be too great," he said. "But there is a community-based outreach clinic here in Lawrence that accesses the same information."
"It was a problem because a lot of veterans had no way to get there," Craig said. "And a lot of guys just can't afford to miss classes."
Craig said the VA originally offered transportation from VA medical centers to the regional office in Wichita. However, when he called the hospital in Topeka, they knew nothing about the situation or providing transportation.
Zacharias said student groups across the country had been contacting their congressmen to find a
After fighting for a week to get the emergency checks brought to the University's 300 veterans, the VA opened up an on-line application process on Oct. 2. Craig said the on-line applications would be processed immediately and the veterans should receive their check within six or seven days of applying.
logical solution to the problem.
Zacharias said he knew of some veterans at the University that had applied and already received their emergency checks.
Edited by Jonathan Hermes
Student stabbed during chemistry
CRIME
A man was arrested after UCLA police got a call about the stabbing Thursday afternoon in Young Hall.
LOS ANGELES — A female UCLA student was hospitalized Thursday after a fellow student slashed her throat in a chemistry lab on campus, authorities said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Officers were interviewing 30 to 40 witnesses who were in or near the lab and might have seen the attack, Campus Police Assistant Chief Jeff Young said. No names have been released, and the motive is under investigation.
ate teaching lab at the time. They are both 20-year-old seniors.
Chemistry professor Robin Garrell, who saw the victim on a wheeled stretcher pushed by paramedics as she left her office in the building, told the Los Angeles Times that students and faculty were "obviously very shaken" by the incident.
Times they saw a woman stagger out of the lab moments after the attack while a teacher's assistant applied pressure to her bloody neck.
UCLA spokesman Phil Hampton said the victim and suspect were among a group of students working in the undergradu-
The woman was being treated for multiple stab wounds at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Her condition was not immediately known.
Police closed off the building to investigate.
Students told the Los Angeles
DENVER — A Denver parade in honor of Christopher Columbus is back on — despite an e-mail that falsely said Saturday's downtown celebration was canceled for lack of funds.
HOLIDAY Columbus Day parade to continue as planned
HOLIDAY
Sons of Italy President Richard SaBell says someone used his name to send an e-mail to the mayor's office and media Thursday saying the parade was canceled. The e-mail also said
Local media started reporting the parade was off, and SaBell rushed to assure people the e-mail was a hoax. He says he reported the phony e-mail to police.
protesters had "ruined" the event and tarnished the legacy of an Italian hero.
SaBell says some 200 participants are expected in this year's parade, with thousands more likely to watch. He says the group spends up to $10,000 putting on the event.
ODD NEWS Couple arrested for conduct at McDonald's
GRANT (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
Christine Galipeau of Quincy and Eugene Jackson of Boston have pleaded innocent to assault and battery in the Tuesday incident.
QUINCY, Mass. — A Massachusetts couple are accused of hurling coins and safety cones at McDonald's cashiers in Quincy when they didn't get enough french fries.
"The idea is to make it as pleasant as possible. We definitely don't want it to be an unpleasant experience."
Jackson hopes to test two competing theories of resiliency: The first theory emphasizes the amount of resources available to the children, and the second emphasizes the context of the traumatic event and how the child interprets the event.
"We can't stop kids from being traumatized, that's like trying to stop them from getting their hearts broken," she said. "The idea is that because we can't stop trauma from happening, we surely should be good then, or better, at helping them recover from it."
Jackson said many partners contributed to the acceptance of her project, including the Life Span Institute, the Jackson County Children's Division of the Missouri Department of Social Service, the Psychology Department, and the Applied Behavioral Sciences Department.
as important to you well-being. Three graduate research assistants and two quantitative data analysts, Professors Wei Wu and Todd Little, will assist with Jackson's study. Professor Todd Little said his role as co-investigator was to design scales and measures of the kids' resiliency.
Associated Press
as important to your well-being."
"The example I always give is if you're an athlete and you sprain your ankle — it's a much bigger deal than if you're a chemistry major," she said. "Not to say that it wouldn't be painful, but it doesn't feel as threatening, perhaps, because what happened isn't
"They will give us a pretty good profile of the psychological and behavioral repertoire that any particular individual has, and we can kind of get a sense of what makes some kids succeed," he said. Jackson said the goal of the study was to use its results to help clinicians and policymakers decide where they should invest their money.
Edited by Jonathan Hermes
peace love jayhawk. KU
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HOMECOMING 2009
Today's Homecoming Events Friday, Oct. 9
- Crimson and Blue Day,10 a.m.-2 p.m., Wescoe Beach
- AURH Homecoming Dance, 10 a.m.-1 a.m., Hashinger Hall
Tomorrow's Events
- Pancake Feed, 9-11 a.m., Stauffer Flint Lawn
- Parade, 10 a.m. (or 2 hours prior to kick-off), Jayhawk Blvd.
- Ticket to the Admission Center Theatre.
- Tailgate at the Adams Alumni Center, 3 hours prior to kick off
- KU vs. Iowa State, kick off time TBA
I Spy Clue
I Spy... an office that isn't cotton, polyester, wool, or satin.
This office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Good luck!
www.homecoming.ku.edu