Twelve replacement computers are stolen off their carrier truck en route to campus
CRYSTAL LUONG
Assistant News Editor
Is it a curse or a negative sign of the times and society?
Repeated theft has daunted the Center for Communication and Business’ computers, and heightened security plans are in action to prevent future incidents.
Campus staff received notice that 12 replacements for machines gutted for parts last semester in Café Fresca were stolen off their carrier truck en route to campus Aug. 11.
However, the University did not suffer any liability.
“The equipment was replaced immediately and there was no impact on us,” said Kathee Robings, chief operations officer for Information Technology, who didn’t know many details of the theft.
Although the computers have finally arrived at Pepperdine, they will not be ready for student use until proper security measures are in place to prevent future theft.
“If any computer is removed, or their security devices, it will trigger an alarm in Public Safety,” said Karl Lutz, technology liaison for the Communication Division.
In addition, doors once left unlocked to provide students access to the CCB’s second floor have been restricted to emergency exits.
“It was too tempting to snatch and take off,” said Dr. Robert Chandler, Communication Division chair.
Eight computers will be installed in Café Fresca for general student use, and four will go to the Business Division on the third floor of the CCB.
The replacement machines, Dell OptiPlex GX270s, will provide the same services as their stolen predecessors. They also will feature division-specific software for student use.
But theft has affected considerations for their quality.
“They will be a bit slower because they didn’t need to be as fast as before,” Lutz said. “They were enticing as a target.”
About $10,000 worth of parts were stolen from Café Fresca computers in March. The cases all remained, but the hard drives, memory chips and processors were removed.
The Department of Public Safety was not available for comment on the status of investigations.
The new computers cost about $12,000 total, according to Jody Semerau, Seaver College budget director.
The president’s office paid for the originals, but funding for the replacements has come from the college’s major equipment fund.
Proposals prepared by Lutz and Alan Regan, technology liaison for the Business Division, determined that fully replacing the computers instead of purchasing just parts would be more cost and time effective, Semerau said.
There are hopes that heightened security will be effective in protecting the property.
“A lot of students count on those machines,” Chandler said. “They’re a service for our students.”
The computers will be up and running by next month, Robings said.
08-30-2004