Bike theft is a recurring problem on Hillsdale College’s campus. Just this semester, five bikes have been reported stolen to campus security.
According to Associate Dean of Men Jeffery Rogers, most bike thefts are committed by non-students who simply take advantage of Hillsdale’s open and trusting campus atmosphere.
“People like to think that everything is safe, but the truth is that we have an open campus,” Rogers said. “People don’t secure their bikes. They make it easy to just walk up and take them.”
Some students who have lost their bikes have managed to recover them.
Sophomore Joshua Johnson forgot to lock up his bike over homecoming weekend. It was stolen from his front yard overnight.
He finally found it the week of Thanksgiving break behind Simpson Hall.
Director of Security Bill Whorley shared what students should do to prevent someone from walking off with their bicycles – and also what to do in the event that it goes missing.
“The most important thing is to lock it up to a fixed object. If you use a pole then we’ve seen people slip the bike over the top, so the best thing to do is to just use the bike racks. It might be a few steps out of your way, but it’ll prevent anyone from taking your bike.”
Whorley said that “a lock keeps the honest criminal away”—tampering with locks is almost unheard of on campus—and to lock both the frame and the front tire of their cycle to prevent would-be thieves from making off with just the fame and leaving the wheel on the rack.
Junior Dane Skorup advised students to check around the city if their bike is stolen.
Skorup’s bike disappeared in May of 2011. He reported it to campus security and the local police. When it didn’t turn up he went into town to check the local schools and he found it on a bike rack in front of Davis Middle School.
“I recommend these steps to anyone who has had their own bike stolen, as it may not have been a college student,” he said.
If and when a student’s bike is stolen, Whorley encouraged them to report to campus security as soon as they can. The security office maintains a list of missing bikes to look out for when on patrol.
They also closely coordinate with city police to investigate stolen bikes.
“We’re exploring the possibility of free registration of bikes including a small sticker to tie it to the college, but that won’t be in place until next fall at the earliest,” Whorley said.