Campus sees handful of bike, scooter thefts this semester

There has been a recent rise in the number of reported electric scooter thefts on campus, according to Rice University Police Department Chief of Police Clemente Rodriguez. There were a total of five reports of electric scooter thefts this semester, with four occurring in November.
Last year, during the same time period, there were no reported electric scooter thefts, although COVID-19 may have played a role, according to Rodriguez. He said that the increase in scooter thefts is likely due to the increase in popularity of electric scooters on campus.
“I’m seeing [electric scooters] more frequently than I’ve seen them ever before ... more scooters on campus [leads to] more opportunity for theft, obviously,” Rodriguez said.
This semester there have been 30 reported bike thefts on campus, which is lower than previous semesters, where the number is typically around 40.
Jones College freshman Tony Tran had his bike stolen two days after bringing it to campus in early October. Tran’s bike was locked in a sheltered lot at McMurtry College when it was stolen.
“I [noticed] that bike thefts at Rice are much more prevalent than I previously thought,” Tran said. “I think Rice should implement a locked indoor facility for bikes.”
Rodriguez said that the police department encourages students to register their bikes and scooters, and to properly lock them using a U-lock. Registering a bike or scooter with RUPD makes it much more likely that it will be found if stolen, according to Rodriguez.
“Without a registered bike [and] without having key information, like the serial number, I can tell you that the chance of recovering a stolen bike drops dramatically, as compared to when we have that information,” Rodriguez said.
Registration of bikes and electric scooters can be done through the RUPD website.
More from The Rice Thresher

Commencement returns to the stadium for Class of 2022
The 109th Convocation ceremony was held in person this past Friday night, with no restrictions on attendance. Hundreds of class of 2022 Rice undergraduates passed under the Sallyport before meeting at Rice football stadium for the ceremony.

SA drafts formal complaint against Chi Alpha after discrimination accusations
The Student Association executive board drafted a formal complaint against the Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship to present to University Court for violation of the SA Constitution nondiscrimination policy that every Rice organization is required to adhere to. This complaint comes in light of the recently published Thresher article, where several students shared their experience with discrimation within the club on the basis of sexual orientation.

OAA expanding divisional advisor program amid growing class sizes
In response to the growing class sizes, the Office of Academic Advising’s Director Christine Martinez said that it will be expanding its divisional advisor program. Each college will be adding three DAs — one in Social Sciences, another in Natural Sciences and the third in Engineering.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.