In recent weeks, a string of bike thefts on EMU’s campus have raised student concerns about safety and security. While stolen bikes are not unheard of on campus, according to Wayne Martin, the coordinator of campus safety, “This is an unusual situation.” 

Typically, one or two bikes might go missing from campus every once in a while. Since classes started this semester, though, Martin has had six bikes reported stolen, with others having potentially been taken but not reported missing.

The thefts have become enough of a problem to warrant working with law enforcement and security outside of EMU. According to Martin, “We’ve been in touch with Harrisonburg Police Department, and JMU police have reached out to me, so we have a concerted effort.”

Shawna Hurst, a sophomore, was one of the victims of the recent bike thefts. “It was stolen the same day that [Wayne Martin] sent out the email about bikes being stolen,” she said. “After I read the email, I put it on my to-do list to move my bike inside, but then my friend texted me that it wasn’t where it had been. So I was too late.”

Hurst had locked her bike with a cable bike lock, which she found laying on the ground, cut clean through. She feels little hope that her bike will be recovered, saying, “It feels like so many people’s bikes have been taken that the chance of it being found isn’t very high.”

Eli Miller, another sophomore whose bike was stolen, had a similar experience and feelings. His bike was also secured with a cable lock, which proved ineffective at preventing theft. With the bike likely long gone, Miller didn’t even bother to report the theft to security. “I figured there was no point,” he explained. 

Joshua Stucky, a senior and president of the Bike Club at EMU, has so far been unaffected by the recent thefts. However, in 2024, his bike was stolen off of EMU’s campus in what he remembers as being a similar string of thefts. When he filed a report, Stucky learned that the cameras that might have been able to catch the thief were non-functional.

The lack of functional surveillance on campus was concerning for Stucky. “The implication of cameras on campus not working goes far beyond things being stolen,” he said. Although his bike was never recovered, Stucky was able to claim insurance on it.

When asked about security cameras, Martin explained the difficulty with campus surveillance. “Our problem has been that our oldest system was using cameras that were of Chinese origin, and so those have been classified by the federal government as no-nos. So those have had to come offline because that kind of thing affects grant funding… Unfortunately, those are cameras that were in the residence halls and outside areas, so we’re struggling to get those replaced and get some visibility back.”

Although replacing those offline cameras is a priority, it’s a project that takes time and money. “We’ve done some good work over the last couple of years with getting more cameras in place,” he said. There is still progress to be made, though, in getting the full coverage that might be able to track would-be bike thieves.

When asked what students could do to protect their belongings, Martin emphasized the importance of the community working towards safety. “I’ve been here four years now, and one of the things I’ve tried to bring forward is a culture of safety, and the concept of ‘see something, say something,’” he said. “My door is always open for people to come and tell me anything.”

Although having your belongings stolen is never fun, Stucky took a somewhat positive attitude towards the events, saying, “The attitude I try to take with it is that whoever stole it probably needs it, or the money from it, more than I do. But at the same time it’s like, college students? Really?”