From college textbooks to costly electronic devices, the grouping of so many expensive items in one place, such as a schoolbag, may become a target for theft, or may change a person’s lifestyle if lost.
Throughout a typical school day, the average college student’s bag could be filled with textbooks, laptops, iClickers and other school materials that are costly. A recent study done by “The College Board” found that the average cost for various school supplies and materials was $1,200 at public universities for the 2012-2013 school year.  
After interviewing three Nicholls students and looking through their schoolbags, each carried an estimated average of $435 worth of school materials and supplies with them to class. These items included textbooks, musical instruments, calculators, notebooks and more.
Once each student found out how much the schoolbags were worth at the time, they each had the same reaction when they realized how much money they would lose if someone were to steal their property.
“I would be mad because college itself is expensive and for me to have to replace all of these items would be a pain since it would have to come out of pocket,” Chante Singleton, psychology sophomore from Thibodaux, said.
Along with things such as books, laptops and other school supplies being expensive, they are also easy targets for theft.  
University Police Chief Craig Jaccuzzo said property theft is probably the most common form of theft at the University. In 2011, there were 39 property theft cases reported to the University Police Department. These items included things such as textbooks, computers, iPads, iPhones and other items students carry to class. Twelve of these property theft cases occurred in residence halls.
Jaccuzzo explained that the first level of taking precautions against property theft is protection. These precautions include not showcasing items, locking up property in cars or apartments, recording all serial numbers and saving receipts. When dealing with electronics, each item should be password protected and linked to a tracking device in case of theft. Also, when students leave valuable items on their front car seat, the risk of someone breaking into the car becomes higher. If students need to leave a valuable item such as a laptop or textbook in their vehicles, put them in a trunk or hidden in the backseat.
At Nicholls, the cost of mandatory tuition and fees for undergraduate in-state full-time students for the 2012-2013 school year was $2,839.60. For out of state full-time students, the cost was $7,727.80.
Once students pay tuition and fees, many scramble to find the money to buy their schoolbooks. Many schools have reported cases of students stealing their books from the bookstore because the cost of books is so high.
With that, technology is becoming more prevalent in the learning process; schools are looking for cheaper and more interactive ways to use textbooks. EBooks are becoming more popular in the classroom because they are more portable and usually cost less.
Kristen Roberts, general studies junior from Shriever said that teachers requiring learning methods such as eBooks and other hands-on electronics in place of books would greatly cut the cost of school books.