Clarion 1989-03-10 Vol. 64 No. 10

              Ackerman, Newman, Kolpien dominate MIAC indoor Track meet
BETHEL COLLEGE
ST. PAUL MN
VOL. 64 NO. 10
MARCH 10, 1989
Parking
expansion
APPROVED
by Mark Bruce
Ever had a hard time finding a place to
park at Bethel? By next year your troubles may be over.
According to Bruce Kunkel, director of
Institutional Services, Bethel has
received approval from necessary
agencies to construct 75 new parking
spaces behind the Lower East parking
lot on campus, and to expand the North
parking lot along Interstate 35W at the
Fountain Terrace complex to accomodate 15 to 20 new spaces.
According to Craig Hjelle, director of
Physical Plant, Bethel has previously run
into problems obtaining a permit from
the Rice Creek Watershed District (a
regional agency that monitors storm
drainage in the Rice Creek area, and
solves any problems that may arise) to
expand the Lower East Lot, since the
construction would destroy a drainage
ditch that runs through the area.
The Watershed District finally approved
the expansion during their last meeting
on February 22. The drainage ditch will
be rerouted during construction.
NORTH     LOT
PROP03E-D    EXPANSION
A blueprint of the proposed parking expansion at Fountain Terrace diagrams extra parking between the apartment complex and 35W.
Obtaining bids from contractors to start
the construction is all that needs to be
done now. Hjelle hopes to have a
gravel lot by next fall and a paved lot by
1990.
At Fountain Terrace both Kunkel and
Hjelle were skeptical that any more
parking spaces could be added because
of a New Brighton city zoning ordinance. According to Emy Mattila, New
Brighton City Engineer, the ordinance
requires "300 feet of green area for
each dwelling unit."
Kunkel and Hjelle were afraid that
adding a new parking lot would reduce
the amount of required "green space"
enough to be in violation of that ordinance. However, according to Kunkel,
when the New Brighton City planner
inspected the area, he said there would
not be a problem.
At present, Kunkel said, Bethel has only
verbal approval from New Brighton to
expand the lot, and must now receive
official approval from the City Engineer,
the City Planner, the City Paver and the
Watershed District. Kunkel and Hjelle do
not expect any problems obtaining
permits from any of these agencies.
They are now working on getting the
project budgeted for next year. "We
would like to have it done by fall," said
Kunkel.
The current plan is to extend the North
parking lot to the south along 35W,
behind buildings 751 and 721.
Theft increase on campus steals trust
by Holly Wenzel
Security and faculty personnel say students who leave their belongings unattended may be inviting theft, as "casual
theft" of possessions left in hallways and
locker rooms escalates.
Coats, bags, and books left in the school
buildings as students go to class and
run errands seem to be disappearing
rapidly. Junior Melanie Levy lost a down
jacket this way in early February.
"1 left it down by the biology department, on the rack there. I went to a
biology lab about 6 and came out at
about five to seven, and it was gone. I
was probably about 20 feet away, in a
classroom, when they took it."
Levy said she was aware things were
being taken around Bethel. "That was
the first time I'd left it anywhere."
Because she left her car and house keys
in a pocket, her parents had to get an
extra set of keys to her and change all
the locks on their home. She added that
the loss still bothers her. "I walk by
where it was, and I get a strange
sensation—I get really angry."
"Don't leave wallets and car keys and
money in your jacket if you're going to
leave it unprotected," warned lain
Glenny, director of security who adds
that theft like this seems to be rising. He
has been taking reports of stolen items
like Levy's, but says it's difficult to
reclaim them.
"I have them fill out a report for insurance purposes because sometimes
people's insurance covers their possessions," he said.
"I'm just there to assist people in recovering their property if possible or suggesting how they could replace things
through their insurance companies." He
also refers them to the police, who may
have information on outside thefts.
Glenny says he suspects "outside people" are behind most of the thefts.
Wayne Street, security guard, says this is
a reasonable assumption, having heard
of "outside theft rings" here in the past.
"Why would you rip off a coat?" he
asked. "Ifyou wear it around campus,
someone's bound to see it." Street is
keeping his eyes open for a Gore-Tex
jacket his mother made for him this
Christmas. He says it was stolen two
months later from the cafeteria during a
student visit weekend.
Wayne Benedick, director of security at
Northwestern College, says there hasn't
been any organized outside theft at
Northwestern, although two alleged
outsiders took a purse from an office in
the school. Although he said this hadn't
been a particularly bad year for theft, the
potential is there. "My feeling is it's a
different kind of student we're getting
gradually. They've leared to lie; they've
learned to steal before they came," he
said, adding that thefts in housing seem
to be internal problems.
"This is not the place it used to be ten,
fifteen years ago," said Men's Athletic
Director Dave Klostreich. "This past
year's been really bad." The P.E.
department installed a buzzer-release
lock on the varsity locker room door
after Interim to guard against theft of
valuable athletic shoes. Some locker
padlocks were opened, apparently with
a key, and other lockers were broken
open.
"We don't know if it's someone inside
or someone outside who knows our
routines," said Klostreich. "It's not just
any shoe—it's a particular kind. They
know when good shoes are there."
He said the lock seems to have slowed
theft down, and the department will
consider the need for locks on the other
locker rooms, which haven't been as
hard-hit yet. Klostreich is concerned
about the whole trend, and said weights
are still disappearing from the weight
room.
"Lock things up, make sure your padlocks are locked, make sure that door is
locked, and don't leave your keys or
your money or your other possessions
lying around," he said. "People have got
to be more careful."
Personal possessions aren't the only
things disappearing, said Manager of
Building Services Ardith Gardner. Of the
six brass lamps purchased for $55 each
last fall for the A.C. lounge, three are
left.
Gardner said after a request in the
Bethel Bulletin didn't bring the missing
lamps back, a professor suggested
removing the others from the lounge
until they were returned. "I know they
get used a lot by students," said
Gardner, "and 1 really hate to do that."
She is considering fixing the remaining
lamps to the floor.
Also missing is the flag from the courtyard, which Gardner said was purchased
to replace a flag donated to Bethel two
years ago, which was also stolen.