Several bikes have been reported stolen on Northern Michigan University’s campus and in the surrounding Marquette during the past month.

Students are finding that locking their bike up to a secure bike rack is not enough. Some have gotten the locks cut or bike parts stolen.

About 15 reports of stolen bikes have been entered into Public Safety’s database this semester.

Although Public Safety Lt. Don Peterman said the number is average, many people have their bikes stolen but never report it to Public Safety.

“(Students) need to report lost bikes; with that and registration, that’s how we get the bikes back to their owner,” Peterman said.

Amanda Weinert, a junior jewelry and metalsmithing major, got her bike seat stolen about two to three weeks ago from the Cohodas bike rack.

Although Weinert said she did not report the theft to Public Safety because it would be hard for them to find a bike seat, she did say her bike is registered.

“It was kind of weird my seat got stolen,” Weinert said. “I was like, ‘OK, great.’”

There are two things students can do to prevent their bikes from being stolen, according to Peterman. The first is to lock it and the second is to register it.

Students can register their bikes at my.nmu.edu. According to Peterman, Public Safety receives a lot of abandoned bikes and if they are registered they can figure out who the owner is.

“We can look up bike registration in the computer and return the bike,” Peterman said. “If students register their bike through Public Safety, it’s for life.”

Peterman suggested for students not to bring their bikes in campus buildings or block doorways.

They become a fire hazard and Public Safety will remove them and keep them in storage for the owner to obtain.

Students should take a picture of their bike and write down the serial number, make and model of bike for personal keeping in case it is stolen, said Peterman.

Students are recommended to get a good bike lock and store bikes at bike racks located around campus.

Junior Keaton Mladic, a public relations major lives off campus and had her bike stolen from the porch about a month ago.

She said she normally locks her bike, but she didn’t that day and she did not realize her bike was missing until a couple days later.

“I live off a busy street, but our porch is set pretty far back so I did not think someone would venture that far to our house,” Mladic said. “Our front door and front windows lookout to the porch too. The one time I didn’t lock my bike, this happened.”

Mladic said she did not report her stolen bike to Marquette Police or Public Safety since her bike was not stolen on campus and thought no one would take the time to look for it.

“If I reported it, I thought the police would just laugh at me,” Mladic said. “There are bigger problems out there than my bike.”

No arrests have been made yet regarding the bike thefts on campus.

Public Safety said within the next few weeks though they expect to find some of the stolen bikes and close those cases.