Food theft plagues Elmwood

by Jeremy B. Yoder

Tension mounts on the third floor of Elmwood as an on-going food snatching saga rages out of control.

The outraged voice of Community Advisor Maria Landis could easily be heard above the other happenings on the third floor of Elmwood a few evenings ago. A cake that Landis had prepared was in the fridge for less then three hours when a mysterious perpetrator clawed out a third of the cake with her hands.

Unfortunately for the girls on the third floor this scene was a common occurrence during the fall semester. Food came up missing regularly from the refrigerator, shared by 30 women on the third floor of the dorm.

It is implied, though not expressly stated, in the Community Lifestyle Commitment each resident signs at the beginning of the school year, that food placed in the fridge should not be eaten by anyone but the owner. The subject falls under the broad topic of respecting others.

At a recent mandatory all-floor meeting, Luella Kauffman, the CA for the north side of the hall, addressed the issue by saying, "Living in a community is different than living at home. We need to respect ourselves and others by not eating others’ food." Kauffman went on to encourage people to continue using the floor fridge, but only when clearly marking items before storing them there, and to keep others accountable for eating only what is theirs to eat.

The floor agreed that Kauffman’s proposition was fair and that each person would do her best to keep others accountable. Signs have been posted in the kitchen about the issue. One reads, "Want to gain the freshman 15? Then keep eating food that is not yours!" It appears that these signs make little difference to the perpetrator, though.

Mass amounts of food are often stolen at one time. Kristi Soder reports she had "a half of a shoo-fly pie stolen one night." Food being stolen at night seems to be a common thread. The usual hours for food to vanish are between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Since this is the time that food seems to disappear the quickest, it is assumed that this is an "inside" job.

Landis is sure that whoever is behind the food problem must have health issues. If it is an eating disorder, bulimia or binge-eating is expected to be the disorder involved.

Eating disorders are common among college-aged females. Up to 60 percent of females will have some sort of eating disorder throughout college with most of them accruing during the freshman year. The freshman 15, which is the amount of weight each college freshman is predicted to gain, scares many girls into extreme dieting. Also the food which is being consumed is different than what freshman are used to and that brings on weight gain. If an eating disorder contributes to the recently burglaries, Kauffman assures, "that the individual will receive proper medical attention".

When asked how they felt about their food being stolen, many of the girls responded in similar ways. "I was really upset. I would not care if the person asked me to eat my food, but it is rude to just eat it," said Katie Moyer.

Another resident said she did not want to know who the individual is. She just wanted it to stop and the person to receive whatever medical attention they needed.

There does not appear to be more the girls can do but keep others accountable and their eyes and ears open. All are hopeful that a breakthrough will be made so that life on the floor can continue as normal.