On a hot and sweaty day at City College, the minutes tend to move very slowly.

Sitting in an ethics class, learning about the recommending concepts of ‘right’ and ‘wrong,’ only adds to the heat.

I was counting down the minutes until class was over, and I nearly sprinted from the door only to make it one flight of stairs away when I realized — I left my laptop under my desk in the classroom.

I ran back to the room, frantic as all hell, only to find that my precious MacBook was gone.

After hunting down my professor outside of his office hours, and emailing the entire class with no success, the reality of my stolen laptop began to set in.

You would think that a classroom full of students being lectured about the ethics of life would yield a group of rounded individuals. But if I can’t even trust a student in an ethics class to make a righteous decision in life, then how could I possibly expect the same from anyone else?

As you and I both know, I am not the only victim to thefts and unethical decisions around Santa Barbara.  With Deltopia, the large and destructive daytime version of Halloween in Isla Vista right around the corner, it couldn’t hurt to watch your things a little closer.

Last year at the annual Deltopia bash, Isla Vista Foot Patrol estimated about 12,000 to 15,000 Floatopians roamed the street of Del Playa drive, and that number is expected to increase this year. One month before the event, the 2013 Deltopia Facebook event page already had 9,000 attendees, and today has an invite list of about 19,000 people.

In 2012, the I.V. Foot Patrol reported 70 citations, 26 medical calls — 14 requiring transportation to the hospital — 15 arrests, and an astonishing nine burglaries. That’s a lot for one weekend. The whole city of Goleta reported a total of only 98 burglaries for the entire year in 2012.

As someone who has experienced firsthand the inevitable defeat of a stolen possession, I strongly suggest locking your doors, hiding your valuables, and taking extra care for the things that are important to you this weekend.

According to the I.V. Foot Patrol website, in three out of four cases, the burglars method of entry into a residence was through an open window or unlocked door.

In Isla Vista, a lot of students think that all of their neighbors are their friends, so they leave their doors unlocked.

It only takes one irresponsible human to spoil a good time, and while ruining Deltopia for you and your housemates may seem like your biggest problem at the time, I assure you that a stolen computer or valuable will probably haunt you for much longer than that.

Unfortunately for me, not only did I have the constant reminder of my theft every time I spent hours in the CLRC typing papers, but I also got to sit through the remainder of my semester feet away from the new ‘owner’ of my laptop, who was learning about all the reasons why stealing it from me was wrong.

It’s been a couple years, and I’ve since purchased a new MacBook, but the fear of unethical humans still plagues me.

Luckily, I rest assured knowing that I probably got a much better grade than the thief in my ethics class.