2008 Woodie Awards
Stolen banners may cost almost $2000 to replace
Three or four banners highlighting student achievement were taken this summer from along the creek
By: Meghan Moriarty
Issue date: 8/27/08 Section: News
Summertime vandalism will cost $1,855.
Three or four banners that lined the creekside walkway between Butte and Holt halls were stolen overnight on July 21 or early July 22, said Lt. Robyn Hearne of University Police.
The signs highlighted student and campus achievements and were added in 2006, as a reminder of the university's history and its ongoing accomplishments, said President Paul Zingg.
"I'm not discouraged about the stolen banners," Zingg said. "Disappointed, yes."
The banners were donated by the Chico State Alumni Association. The university will use funds from the association to replace them.
Some students, such as senior Mike Talamantes, think the university should spend the money on programs that benefit students - not flags.
"I know a lot of freshmen who drop out after their first year," Talamantes said. "They should have programs to help kids stay in school."
The university should find other places to get cheaper banners, he said.
Graduate student Heriberto Coronel agreed.
"The alumni association is misusing their money," Coronel said.
Neither students nor alumni decide how to spend the donated funds. A board of directors votes how funds will be used, said Sue Anderson, director of Alumni and Parent Relations.
Assistant professor Chris Yakes of the mathematics and statistics department said theft and vandalism in Chico are a bigger concern to him than the banners and the money to replace them.
"I don't see the banners as that bad of a loss," Yakes said.
He started taking his bike to his office after someone stole his bike from the racks in front of Holt Hall, he said.
"There is a community mentality that things just get stolen in Chico because no one is willing to do anything about it," Yakes said.
Graduate student Cheri Gerdes said she thinks theft is an inevitable consequence of having a campus in a residential area.
Gerdes thinks bored kids stole the banners, she said.
"It's so easy to get onto the campus. I'm surprised more things haven't been stolen," she said.
If caught, the accused may be charged with felony grand theft, Hearne said.
Meghan Moriarty can be reached at
mmoriarty@theorion.com.
Related links
Alumni and Parent Relations homepage
Alumni Association on Facebook
Three or four banners that lined the creekside walkway between Butte and Holt halls were stolen overnight on July 21 or early July 22, said Lt. Robyn Hearne of University Police.
The signs highlighted student and campus achievements and were added in 2006, as a reminder of the university's history and its ongoing accomplishments, said President Paul Zingg.
"I'm not discouraged about the stolen banners," Zingg said. "Disappointed, yes."
The banners were donated by the Chico State Alumni Association. The university will use funds from the association to replace them.
Some students, such as senior Mike Talamantes, think the university should spend the money on programs that benefit students - not flags.
"I know a lot of freshmen who drop out after their first year," Talamantes said. "They should have programs to help kids stay in school."
The university should find other places to get cheaper banners, he said.
Graduate student Heriberto Coronel agreed.
"The alumni association is misusing their money," Coronel said.
Neither students nor alumni decide how to spend the donated funds. A board of directors votes how funds will be used, said Sue Anderson, director of Alumni and Parent Relations.
Assistant professor Chris Yakes of the mathematics and statistics department said theft and vandalism in Chico are a bigger concern to him than the banners and the money to replace them.
"I don't see the banners as that bad of a loss," Yakes said.
He started taking his bike to his office after someone stole his bike from the racks in front of Holt Hall, he said.
"There is a community mentality that things just get stolen in Chico because no one is willing to do anything about it," Yakes said.
Graduate student Cheri Gerdes said she thinks theft is an inevitable consequence of having a campus in a residential area.
Gerdes thinks bored kids stole the banners, she said.
"It's so easy to get onto the campus. I'm surprised more things haven't been stolen," she said.
If caught, the accused may be charged with felony grand theft, Hearne said.
Meghan Moriarty can be reached at
mmoriarty@theorion.com.
Related links
Alumni and Parent Relations homepage
Alumni Association on Facebook
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