The University Bookstore has reported 30 instances of shoplifting since August 2013, with stolen items ranging from apparel to small electronics. This number is up from from last year, with only 10 instances reported.

Echoing the words of UBS manager Jerrod Nickels in Hannah Lentz’s article “GVPD worried about growing trend,” the Lanthorn wants to encourage students to use common sense and obey the law. We are no longer 4 year olds eating dirt. We are soon to be graduates entering the real world. Grow up, and realize that your actions have repercussions.

As children, we are taught to hold our parents’ hands when we cross the road. We are told to wipe our noses, wash our hands and share our toys. Don’t dress up the dog and definitely don’t color on the walls. Finally, don’t take what is not yours.

After at least 18 years of this, society considers us adults. Adults who understand the rules and regulations of the world we live in. We graduate high school and we move on to college. We pay our bills, go to work and try to keep the fridge filled with food. So we’re adults right? Well, not quite yet. Being an adult goes hand in hand with being mature. Being mature means having respect for yourself and your peers.

So where does shoplifting fit into the picture of adulthood? It doesn’t. Students need to take responsibility for their actions.

Students also need to take responsibility for their own possessions. Theft isn’t limited to the bookstore. It happens in dorms, the library and in class. Lock your doors, don’t leave things unattended and be aware of your surroundings.

However, the fact that individuals on our campus need to be reminded of the lessons they were taught while they were still debating whether Play-Doh was a good snack food is unacceptable. All of the members of the GVSU community work hard to ensure that each and every student has the best possible circumstances surrounding them so that they may succeed in their education.

Having to focus attention on petty and such insignificant matters like shoplifting takes energy away from the important things – like making sure that the people actually mature enough to call themselves college students are excelling.

The Grand Valley State University campus should be a place where students and other community members feel safe to express their views and grow as individuals. Growing as individual adults – not immature children that can’t keep their hands to themselves when they see things that are not their own. That’s what being an adult comes down to. Claim responsibility for your actions, and know that your actions have consequences that reach further than your pockets.