I am writing to inform The Pendulum readership of what happened to me on Tuesday, Jan. 30 in Belk Library with the hope that it will not happen to anyone else.

As usual, I was on the third floor of the library working with my laptop and books. I decided to take a short break like I always do and went downstairs for about 15 minutes. When I got back up to the third floor, my laptop [a white iBook G4] and a backpack containing over 50 pounds of books were both gone.

The shocking aspect about this incident was that it occurred on a night when the library was least utilized during the semester. There were only about two or three other people on the third floor when it happened.

I would like to warn each and every one of you, whether you are a student, faculty or staff member, to keep a close watch on your belongings at all times and never let them out of your sight. Even leaving stuff behind to get up to go to the bathroom is a risk not worth taking. I will never ever leave my laptop or even books unattended again. It was an expensive lesson, costing almost $1,800 to replace the laptop, backpack and books that were stolen.

It is easy for us to fall into a trap of complacency in terms of leaving our belongings behind for even just a few moments. Please take my advice and do not do it.

This incident also brings up the issue of the need for security cameras to monitor the activity around the front doors of Belk. Strangely, there are security cameras near the back door but none are in front, where 99.9 percent of people enter and leave. I hope that Elon will invest in some type of system to make the library a more secure place.

Finally, I would like to thank Campus Security and the library staff for helping me through this troubling experience. Three officers were quickly sent to take down the report and search the building. The library staff has been extremely caring and understanding, as they always have been throughout my four years here. The Elon community is truly lucky to have such a wonderful library.

Student: Charlie Remy '07 - 02/15/07