I could never comprehend what would compel somebody to take something that doesn’t belong to them. Most of us are in the same boat here at Penn State McKeesport. We are teenagers struggling to attend classes, work to pay our tuition, and do our absolute best to maintain our grades.

That is why I am awestruck at the recent wave of CDs and audio equipment being stolen out of cars here on campus. I was a victim of this string of CD thefts. My doors were locked and my windows were up, yet someone still managed to break into my car. And much to my dismay, 72 CDs were stolen out of my car. I now have nothing to listen to.

Most of us have committed small acts of robbery, such as stealing a pencil off your teacher’s desk when he is out of the room, taking a piece of gum out of your female friend’s purse or even stealing a 25 cent pack of candy from your local mini mart. However, stealing hundreds of CDs from fellow classmates’ cars is a cowardly and spineless display of character.

One place where you shouldn’t feel threatened by crime or worry about something like this taking place is at your school. I never thought twice about it. School is supposed to be a safe area and a place where your only worry should be your studies.

I still don’t understand why a fellow classmate would do this to other students. I am sure students have lost hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of CDs and accessories due to these thefts. For a college student, that’s a good deal of money. We are struggling to pay our tuition and trying to gather up enough change for gas, but thieves put us at an even bigger disadvantage. Most college students do not have the funds to rebuild a whole CD collection after it was stolen. I know I don’t.

If the thief is reading this, was it really worth it? The inconvenience you put your victims through is indescribable. You have also given the students at our university a bad name, and become a criminal in the process. Enjoy all of my CDs. I have already started to rebuild my collection. Are you going to steal those CDs, too?