If a guy walked into The Main, stuck his hand in the cash register and pulled out more than $1,600, people would probably think there was something wrong with that.But if the student body, over the course of the school year, walks out of The Main with plates, bowls, forks, spoons and knives that cost Sodexho, TCU’s food service provider, $1,660 to replace, nobody even thinks twice about it.

As Tuesday’s Skiff reported, that is exactly what has happened on campus this year. Students have been helping themselves to campus flatware, enough so that almost everyone living on campus could have four place settings in his or her dorm room.

The amount may not seem like a lot at a a school with an endowment of almost $1 billion, but these small instances of petty theft across campus can add up.

Students living off campus raiding campus bathrooms for rolls of toilet paper, pocketing a pen after writing a check at Financial Services or hurrying back to the dorm with that plate of food to catch the latest episode of “American Idol” all contribute; while these things may make life easier for the individual, they can make life at a university more costly for everyone.

So be conscious of what you’re doing. At a school with ever-increasing tuition rates set at $22,980 for the 2006-2007 school year and meal plans costing up to $1,600 a semester, students should work together and do everything they can to keep price hikes at a minimum.

Tuesday’s Skiff reports said the Student Government Association is setting up an amnesty program so students can return flatware in their dorms without having to worry about getting in trouble. If you have helped yourself to The Main’s silverware, take advantage of the amnesty program, and think about what you can do in the future to help make campus life more affordable for everyone.

News editor Mike Dwyer for the editorial board.