Pacific loses $30,000 in dishes over the past few years.
The Washburne University Center is home to all things dining for Pacific University. It is the gathering place for many students and faculty for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the school has always provided plates, bowls, and utensils that are needed for people to adequately, well, plate and eat their meals.
However, a new scandal has erupted over the past year: stolen dishes. In light of the mysterious recent spike in missing utensils, the school hosted a campus-wide Dish Day on November 13 for thieving students to return their pilfered platters. The university estimated hundreds of dishes, cups and whatnot have vanished over the past few semesters.
But the great return event fell short of all expectations: Only five bowls, twelve cups, two forks, and eight plates were successfully returned to the UC.
The Index had an opportunity to speak with Dining General Manager Kevin Means and discuss what had been going on in detail. In comparison, statistics indicate that 220 bowls, 480 forks, 244 plates, 168 to-go containers, and 220 cups have gone missing since the beginning of this semester. Kevin Means shared that this adds up to a total of $5,700. Outside of this semester, Pacific claims that utensil larceny is nothing new. In a recent email, Pacific announced that $30,000 has been spent to replace these dishes over the past few semesters.
Still, Pacific remains undeterred, and hope springs eternal as the holidays come around the corner. The UC has more Dish Day events planned, eagerly anticipating students will emerge from the woodwork to return their purloined cutlery. But if the past indicates the future, it may be wiser for the UC to look elsewhere. If the UC is on the nice list, a short note to Santa Claus and a plate of steaming cookies on Christmas Eve may have greater chances of success.
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