Union Cracks Down On Thefts

Two first-year students had their University identification cards confiscated at the Harvard Union Sunday, the latest move taken by dining services employees to crack down on stealing food from the dining hall.

Natasha H. Leland '95 and Ashwini S. Sukthankar '95 said that Dining Services employee Gail Bishop took their IDs because they brought extra food back to their table, intending to eat the food later instead of going to the Union for dinner.

Leland said Bishop told her the offense was "grounds for expulsion," and ordered them to speak go to the Freshman Dean's Office Monday to retrieve their identification cards.

When Leland and Sukthankar went to the FDO to find their cards, Associate Dean of Freshmen W.C. Burriss Young '55 went to the Union and retrieved the cards. The IDs were immediately rendered to the students who were told only that their senior advisor might contact them.

Both Young and Bishop refused comment.

Leland argued that she has never gone back for seconds, and should be able to take a proportionate share of food from the Union.

"If I'm paying for every meal and I know I'm not going to eat dinner one night, I should be able to pack food for that meal," Leland said.

Not Stop 'n Shop

Approximately 50 to 70 students have been taking "more than they should" from the Union at each meal, said Harvard University Dining Services Supervisor Michael C. Sidabras.

Sidabras said neither he nor Union employees care if students take "a piece of fruit out of the Union...But [stealing] is getting a little carried away."

The largest problem has been at breakfast, when students have stolen bagels, rolls, muffins, and boxes of cereal--often without concealing the food, Sidabras said.

He also said food thefts have been particularly frequent on days of home football games, in this year and in the past, when students pack an illegal snack for the game.

To prevent stealing, a dining services employee is now stationed at the door where students leave the dining hall, Sidabras said. The employee stops students who are carrying unconcealed food, and sometimes asks them to turn in their Harvard IDs.

Sidabras said the students must return to the dining hall at a less busy time to talk to a manager, who usually gives them a "reminder not to do it."

Students are encouraged to use their Harvard mugs, and are allowed to carry drinks out of the Union "in their own containers," Sidabras said.

Employees do not anticipate checking bags for food, or any such measure, but they will continue to stand guard at the door, he said.