Ed Board would like to take a moment to tell students to wake up.

If you leave your belongings unattended, they are likely to get stolen. Apparently students don’t realize this, and the SMU police department has taken it upon themselves to inform them with a campus alert.

This one reads, “Remember to lock up personal items throughout the day and to secure doors and windows before leaving the office at night.”

Thank you Chief Snellgrove.

This campus alert comes after six thefts in the last two weeks from the Owen Arts Center and the Paul B. Loyd All-Sports Center.

Items stolen have ranged from personal items such as wallets and purses to cameras, laptops and a ceiling projector.

These are valuable items. And while you can call your credit card company to keep someone from racking up charges on that card in your wallet or purse, a laptop computer has to be replaced.

Chief Snellgrove suggests writing down the serial numbers from electronic equipment such as cameras and laptops.

“These items are usually pawned,” Snellgrove says. “Serial numbers can help us track and recover stolen items in pawn shops.”

Ed Board suggests not keeping your list of serial numbers in your unattended purse next to your laptop.

We’d like to let the SMU community know that even though it seems like we live in a bubble, there are still those who are dishonest. An unattended purse could make a nice gift, and the few hundred dollars gained from pawning a laptop could certainly make Christmas shopping easier.

We know how it is — a student just gets up for a second to use the restroom and when they return, they’re missing a few of their belongings. Don’t do it! If you need to get up, even for a moment, have a friend to keep an eye on your things.

This is another reason to study with a partner. Not only does it make the long walk back from the library safer, but studying with a buddy means that there is someone readily available to watch your things rather than take them.

In closing, Ed Board would like to advise students (and faculty) not to leave their belongings unattended. That means locking your door when you leave your office or apartment, and taking your items with you no matter where you’re going.