As security at the HUB is at full force, students should consider the legality of their actions before putting pieces of fruit into their mouths.

The case of Roberta Borovetz, who was cited Feb. 9 by Penn State Police Services after she ate three pieces of fruit from her salad before paying, is most likely the result of poor judgment on the part of overzealous personnel.

According to Borovetz (senior-marketing and international business), a manager at the HUB started yelling at her after she ate the fruit. Then, HUB security kept her at the HUB offices until university police came. University police handcuffed her and took her to the university police station, where she was given a citation for retail theft.

Although it is against the law to steal, the Borovetz case takes it a little too far. Three pieces of fruit hardly justifies the police actions taken in reaction to her "infractions." The HUB was trying to make an example out of Borovetz, but they should have waited until a real criminal came along, not someone who was merely snacking on fruit she was going to pay for anyway.

Also, the HUB is wasting its resources on the added security at the HUB eateries. For one thing, the setup of the Union Street eateries makes it almost impossible for students to take significant amounts of food without paying for it. First, there is a turnstile with an employee standing nearby at the entrance to eateries such as Chick-Fil-A and Casa Ortega. It would be difficult for students to walk past this "point of no return" holding an armful of food. Second, the only way out of the enclosed area is through the row of cashiers, which is also heavily guarded by HUB managers and security personnel. The money spent on these unnecessary security personnel could be used to lower the prices of HUB food.

If the HUB is worried about losing money because of a few measly pieces of fruit, it should rethink its purpose in the Penn State community. The HUB will never be out of customers because its No. 1 priority is to serve the student population. As such, HUB managers should think again before they decide to cite a student for eating a grape. Is this overreaction the type of image the HUB managers want to project to their customers?