It’s a Friday night at the beginning of December. You dance the night away at the Jug and you’re ready to leave. You say goodbye to some friends who want to stay, and you go to find your jacket before heading out into the frigid night. You go to where you put it, but it’s not there. Frantically, you look everywhere, but you can’t find it. You “lost” your Jug jacket. What do you do?
Let’s back up, what’s a jug jacket? A jug jacket, similar to a frat-jacket or “fracket,” is a cheap jacket that you wear to the Jug for fear it’s going to get dirty or “lost.” These are jackets you buy with the sole purpose of wearing them out.
Now back to the situation at hand. It’s really cold outside and you’re only wearing a dress without sleeves. You have two options a) brave the walk home without a jacket in the (most likely) below freezing temperature or b) steal someone else’s jacket, ensuring that you’ll be warm(er).
Most people would choose the second option. Why risk the discomfort of walking home half-naked in the 30-degree weather? That’s why we have a page for “Jug Jacket Returns.” People could easily locate their jacket on this page, no big deal, right?
If you’ve never had your jacket stolen yet, consider yourself lucky. After only one semester, I’ve already had three jackets stolen. Yes stolen, not lost. REALITY CHECK! Your jacket didn't disappear or get up and walk away. If you can’t find it, it’s for a reason.
I was also under the illusion that tying your jacket together with your friends' will help, but it really only provides a minimal amount of security. Just as easy it was for you to tie them together, someone could come and untie one from the bunch.
Stealing someone else’s jacket does not only affect the victim’s walk back home. Most times, in the pockets of these jackets are keys, IDs, and money. The student’s ability to enter dining halls, do laundry, or even use their car is affected by your desire to have a warm walk home.
We shouldn’t have this dog-eat-dog mindset. We are a community of students, not delinquents! More than that, we are a family. We should be looking out for each other. So why do we keep taking jackets that aren’t ours?
It truly is a vicious cycle: one person gets their jacket stolen, so they steal someone else’s, then that person steals someone else, etc. This perpetuates jug jacket theft and if we don’t make a change, it will never end.
If you can’t find your jacket, don’t take someone else's.
Yes, it’s tempting, it’s cold outside.
But there are other options.
If you are at a frat, ask a friend who lives there if you can borrow a jacket or sweatshirt with the promise you will return it. If you’re at the Jug, you could wait for a Cruiser, which will be heated. If you’re too early, wait in slices then run out when the Cruiser is there. Another option is calling a SOBER friend to pick you up. If all else fails, you could call campus security to pick you up. On a cold night a few weeks ago, campo offered to drive me and my friends to the townhouses when we were walking back. I can't speak for all of the campo officers, but I'm sure some will be willing to help.
Temperatures are going to get dangerously low as time goes on. It is unsafe to walk without a jacket or some kind of layer. Be mindful of other people. If your jacket gets stolen, there are other options to consider instead of taking something that's not yours. We need to look out for each other instead of causing each other harm. Let's make it so that people can take their Canada Goose and Patagonia jackets to the Jug without fear of theft! Stop the Jug Jacket theft cycle!
