One common practice among Bobcats has more consequences than you may realize.
Bobcats looking to keep one very specific, nonessential souvenir from their time in Athens might find themselves facing six months in jail and a fine of $1,000.
Stealing an Athens brick has become a rite of passage for Ohio University students, but the threat of a first-degree misdemeanor theft charge should keep most at bay.
We know that Athens holds a special place in the hearts of everyone who lives here, and that everyone wants to remember the wild times spent here, so keeping a token seems like a harmless idea. But the point is: Stealing is stealing, and lugging a deceptively heavy brick home is not worth the risk of a potential fine and jail time.
Most people steal the bricks and then keep them for sentimental sake, but there has been at least one case when someone took one and smashed a window with it. That man was eventually caught and brought up on felony charges. The window cost $14,000 to replace.
People also often trip because of the holes left behind by missing bricks, particularly while walking through College Green. That might not seem like it’s a big deal or uncommon, and it might not be, but it would ironic if you stole a brick and then stumbled over the gap in the walkway you left behind.
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A potential remedy to the situation could come in the form of the university giving away bricks at commencement. Sure it takes away from the “thrill” of stealing a brick on the way home from Lucky’s one Thursday night, but what students actually want to have is a physical representation of Athens after they graduate, not the memory of digging up a muddy brick.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors: Editor-in-Chief Emma Ockerman, Managing Editor Rebekah Barnes, Opinion Editor Will Gibbs and Digital Managing Editor Samuel Howard. Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage.
