People who have stolen from the bookstore have ruined it for the rest of us.

As students, we are required to leave our bags unattended outside the bookstore to ensure that we don’t steal.

Leaving a backpack outside may lower the theft inside the bookstore but it certainly raises it outside.

Theft is already a problem on campus and there is no need to add to it.

Some students only go into the bookstore for a scantron and that only takes a few minutes. It is unnecessary, not to mention inconvenient, to have students take off their backpacks for something so simple.

In the few minutes it takes to buy a scantron, someone could have their bag stolen.

Sure, there are lockers outside the bookstore, but they are either full or broken. Furthermore, not everyone has the time or change for a locker.

Students lead very busy lives and having to stop to take their backpack off and find a locker is time-consuming.

Lockers are a constant problem for many reasons the first being, not everyone has a quarter to put in the locker. Many students today do not carry cash around so it’s not that easy to find a quarter.

In addition, the lockers are not fully functional for most students. For example, nursing students have to carry a lot of books and that means they most likely carry larger backpacks. The lockers were not made for all backpacks, especially large ones.

Students carry around books worth hundreds of dollars in their backpacks, along with computers and other electronic devices. Let’s be honest; if someone steals a student’s backpack, it is the student’s responsibility and not the bookstore’s.

If the bookstore wants students to leave their bags outside of the store then they should have someone monitoring them constantly.

Or, they could pay to replace the books if someone’s bag was stolen outside their store.

Another issue that can arise is someone may accidentally take the wrong bag and no one has time for that struggle.

It is understandable that the bookstore wants to prevent theft but making students leave bags unattended is not the answer. After all, this is college, not kindergarten.

There are many ways to prevent theft. If the bookstore is so set on not allowing students to carry bags around the store then they should at least allow students to place them inside. That way a cashier or another employee can keep an eye out.

Also if theft is such a big problem then the bookstore should invest in a sensor system that works. Then they can immediately catch someone stealing.

This is our school and El Camino shouldn’t treat us like criminals or petty thieves because of the past actions of others.