U.C. Sound System Reported Missing

As Undergraduate Council candidates promise to handle student's money more effectively, council members say they are unable to locate the organization's $2,500 sound system, which has been missing for around three weeks.

Council members in charge of the system expressed little concern that there is no record of a student group borrowing the system, and while they agree that letting out the system without a record is a breach in protocol, no one is claiming responsibility for the misplacement, nor have the police been notified.

"Somebody should know where it is," said council Vice President Mark A. Price '98, who expressed concern that he was not informed of the system's absence until interviewed by The Crimson.

The Campus Life Committee (CLC) is charged with loaning the system out to student groups who wish to use it for events. Groups are required to sign a borrowing contract and leave a deposit for the system.

The CLC appointed M. Daniel Hughes '01 at the beginning of this semester to act as a liaison for students wishing to use the system.

Hughes, who says he has not seen the system for about three weeks, insists that he is not responsible for the disappearance of the sound equipment.

"I did my job. I made sure that the Taiwanese Cultural Society (TCS) returned it to the U.C. office," he said.

The TCS was the last group to use the system with authorization. There is no record of a more recent borrowing contract, according to Hughes.

"The system should be in the U.C. office. No one has officially borrowed it...I do not know where it is," he said.

Council President Lamelle D. Rawlins '99 expressed concern but said she believed that the sound system will be recovered.

"It's troubling," she said. "I hope this is just a misunderstanding...[and that] we'll find the sound system in the closet of some student group."

Saying the stereo is "misplaced"--not stolen--Rawlins said that the occasion council must be more careful with it's property.

"It's the students property and it needs to be taken care of," she said.

A council member who requested anonymity said that on occasion council has not been particularly careful in lending the sound equipment to students.

"To be honest, many groups that check out the equipment don't even fill out the forms. I'm not surprised there isn't a record of who has it now," the representative said.

Wide accessibility to the council office may have contributed to the current confusion. At least 20 people have keys to the office, according to Price.

Hughes said that makes keeping track of the system more difficult.

"I made sure [the sound system] was where it was supposed to be. I can't check every day to make sure it's still there," Hughes said. "Lots of people could have gone in and taken the system."

Many council members said they are not particularly worried about the system's disappearance.

"I am not concerned yet--I'm sure someone borrowed it and will return it," said Samuel C. Cohen '00, co-chair of CLC and a vice presidential candidate.

Timothy J. Daskivich '01, also a CLC member, agreed.

"It's not a crisis. It's common practice for it to be taken out and not returned for three weeks--but usually [the] U.C. would know about it," he said.

"It's not 'missing,'" said Trevor S. Blake II '00, the other CLC co-chair.

"Someone's probably waiting to bring it back--it is large," he said.

Price said that he will be following up on what appears to be a breach of council protocol.

Price added that he has sent an e-mail to all council members and that he hopes the system will be returned.

"If someone on the U.C. or a [student] group has the system, that's fine, we can handle that," he said, adding that if the sound equipment is not recovered by winter break he will notify the police.

Other council members, including those running for executive offices, expressed their deep concern that the council as a whole was not notified earlier that the equipment was missing

"To be honest, many groups that check out the equipment don't even fill out the forms. I'm not surprised there isn't a record of who has it now," the representative said.

Wide accessibility to the council office may have contributed to the current confusion. At least 20 people have keys to the office, according to Price.

Hughes said that makes keeping track of the system more difficult.

"I made sure [the sound system] was where it was supposed to be. I can't check every day to make sure it's still there," Hughes said. "Lots of people could have gone in and taken the system."

Many council members said they are not particularly worried about the system's disappearance.

"I am not concerned yet--I'm sure someone borrowed it and will return it," said Samuel C. Cohen '00, co-chair of CLC and a vice presidential candidate.

Timothy J. Daskivich '01, also a CLC member, agreed.

"It's not a crisis. It's common practice for it to be taken out and not returned for three weeks--but usually [the] U.C. would know about it," he said.

"It's not 'missing,'" said Trevor S. Blake II '00, the other CLC co-chair.

"Someone's probably waiting to bring it back--it is large," he said.

Price said that he will be following up on what appears to be a breach of council protocol.

Price added that he has sent an e-mail to all council members and that he hopes the system will be returned.

"If someone on the U.C. or a [student] group has the system, that's fine, we can handle that," he said, adding that if the sound equipment is not recovered by winter break he will notify the police.

Other council members, including those running for executive offices, expressed their deep concern that the council as a whole was not notified earlier that the equipment was missing