I can’t think of anything more obnoxious than stealing from someone who has opened their home to you.

Ordinarily, I think most students would agree with me. They’d never steal from the host of a dinner party or the home of a close friend. This custom, however, seems to go out the window when an off-campus house throws a party. 

In the first few weeks of this school year, one of the most prolific party houses on Manning Street had a bench stolen from its front porch — among other things — and a door and mailbox broken in a single night.

Just because you don’t know the hosts personally — or you’re from a rival group — doesn’t mean you have the right to take or break things from people who were trying to improve your Saturday night.

Obviously, this discourtesy (and crime) negatively affects the students who work to throw parties on the weekend. But, it also impacts the perpetrator when they decide not to throw another party. 

Some of the best party houses on campus go on hiatus after their stuff gets swiped. Months can go by without a good party as a result of a couple sticky fingers. 

Overall, stealing and breaking things on Manning Street and beyond is a serious crime, a huge affront to party hosts, and a threat to the entire party ecosystem at Hillsdale College. If you’ve got to take a souvenir, there’s tons of empty beer cans on their lawns.