Bookstore woes and a kick to the head

By Adriana Hunstad

“August tends to be a quieter month for activity,” said University of Calgary Campus Security Assistant Manager Ken Kress.


Loss on campus August 2003 was $17,500, almost half of August 2002’s $29,000 losses.


The Aug. 22 Bouncing Souls concert ended with a security officer being assaulted.


"We had a group of concert goers smoking marijuana out of the south doors of Mac Hall, and they were confronted by security staff to stop smoking," said Campus Security Manager Lanny Fritz.


The men were uncooperative, and became vocal as they tried to gather supporters against the officers. The security officers warned them to leave the area, or they would be considered trespassing. But they did not listen and the officers arrested one of them.


The arrested man’s brother escaped into the crowd and allegedly kicked one of the officers in the head. The officer received several abrasions and a mild concussion, and was treated at the Foothills Hospital. The man who allegedly committed the assault was an unclassified student and is being reviewed for non-academic misconduct.


Another student is under review for non-academic misconduct after driving recklessly in Lot 10. Fritz said the student was stunting and driving fast and could have created an unsafe situation for pedestrians and other drivers. He was subsequently fined under the University Traffic Regulation.


In preparation for fall classes, more students visited the new bookstore to purchase their textbooks. The increased traffic brought a rise in suspicious activities.


"We’ve had 15 incidents of shoplifting this year so far, where people have been confronted and apprehended," said Fritz.


There are drastic consequences for theft, from small items such as a handful of pens to bigger ones such as textbooks.


"Consequences range from individuals being banned from the bookstore, all the way up to non-academic misconduct and/or police involvement for potential criminal charges," said Fritz.


Parents are called when shoplifters are under 18 years old.


As well, an unknown individual returned the same book more than once to the Book Buy Back. On Aug. 13, the new bookstore became interested in this individual after doing stock checks and realizing many copies of this particular book were unaccounted for.


"We are making a special effort to identify him," said Fritz.


Unfortunately, the U of C ID used was invalid.


Campus Security officers routinely patrol the campus, but there are also closed circuit TV cameras installed throughout campus, which are constantly monitored. At 1:30 a.m., on Aug. 9, while monitoring the CCTV cameras, Campus Security staff caught a man performing an indecent act near the Brentwood LRT station. They investigated, and police were called to deal with the man. The man was a non-student who had been convicted and charged several times in the past for similar acts.


Students will notice vehicles are no longer allowed to stop at the north entrance of MacEwan Student Centre.


"Vehicles in front of the building create problems for indoor air quality," said Fritz.


The exhaust from the cars traveled into the air vent system, making the building unhealthy. There were numerous complaints of odours and headaches. But a solution to this problem was found.


"We’ve tried a number of things over the years," said Fritz. "Now we’ve moved the city bus stop, created fire lanes in front, and we installed signs."