In a university that promotes "truth even unto its innermost parts" with regards to academic integrity and social justice, it seems hackneyed to apply that golden motto to petty larceny. Yet even while Brandeis students are weaned off plagiarism and turned on to public advocacy, books are disappearing from the bookstore. But beyond right and wrong is the fact of meager funds and an easy getaway. In the chaotic first few days of school, you stand in line with a dozen textbooks, which for better or for worse will be essential to your future success. Your parents are already paying for room, board and tuition, and they feel it would be appropriate for you to spend your hard-earned summer job money on textbooks.

Grand Total: $460.00. Yikes! Wouldn't it be nice to just walk out without paying?

Not at Brandeis, says Mark Collins, who administers the bookstore contracting. "Generally we're in a school where this is not an expectation of what goes on here," he said.

But bookstore theft has become a growing concern both to administrators and store managers here at Brandeis.

"(Theft) is a major concern because it is prevalent on all campuses, and it is not something that should be tolerated," said Edward Callahan, Director of Public Safety. "In the 25 years I've been here there have been certain sporadic incidents" of bookstore shoplifting, Callahan continued.

Michael McDade, general manager for Barnes & Noble College in the Shapiro Center, said that "there is significant theft" at the bookstore. Because inventories provide a look at exactly how many books are missing, store managers have near-perfect data on how many "dollars go out the door," as McDade put it.

"The last time I bought books, I think, was first semester freshman year," remarked a junior, who preferred to remain anonymous.

Collins was "not aware" of much theft at the bookstore, and said he was surprised to learn that some students have been stealing their books on a regular basis, up to three semesters in a row. "They should be arrested," he said. "Theft is not a solution, because everyone pays in the end."

A comparison of crime statistics reveals that Brandeis has a low crime rate and considerably less theft than other area universities, including Tufts, Bentley, Harvard, or Boston University.

In 2001, Brandeis Police reported one robbery and 17 instances of burglary. That was less than Tufts, which reported one robbery, 19 burglaries, and four motor vehicle thefts that year; Bentley College had 26 burglaries in 2001. At Boston University and Harvard, the crime rate is considerably higher due, in part, to the nature of an urban campus.

Most students who have stolen from the bookstore before believe that the books are overpriced.

"The fact that I'm already paying a lot of money to the University, and that they then have the guts to sell the books at inflated prices makes (stealing books) somewhat easier on my conscience," said another anonymous student.

Other students have echoed this attitude. "I feel as bad stealing books from the Brandeis bookstore as I do stealing food from Aramark," one student said. "But I don't care, because they don't care about me. I have to do whatever it takes to survive in this world. I have to steal my books because I cannot afford to buy them."

Collins said that the prices at Brandeis are "competitive with other schools." "Generally there's a suggested retail price, and some of those books are then discounted, and some of them aren't."

Meanwhile, store managers are thinking about asking students to check their bags at the door when they come in, a measure that would certainly make it considerably more difficult to smuggle books out of the store unnoticed.

Although both Collins and McDade said bookstore employees are trained to spot and expose thieves, none of the student workers interviewed ever detected any illegal activity.

"I have not seen any theft at the bookstore so far," Sarah Light '05 said. In Light's case, this ignorance is attributable to skillful Brandeis thieves, as she noticed "people stealing all the time" when employed by a Barnes & Nobles in California.

One way or another, selling textbooks - and stealing textbooks - are nerve-racking endeavors. The uncertainty about the security measures in place, especially in a new bookstore, is enough to make any thief think twice about the possible consequences of getting caught.

"Shoplifting is a criminal act," Callahan said, "but we try to deal with behavioral concerns within the university," for example through the university's judicial system.

Students know the rules. One said: "It crossed my mind that I might get kicked out of school, but that's doubtful. Probably I would just get a huge fine, or a huge judicial slap on the wrist."

Someone once said that you're not a criminal until you get caught. While the reasons behind theft may differ greatly, at the bottom line is always the "community standard," as Callahan expressed it.