Wrong way. Stop. Yield.

Even these warnings can't stop some thieves from snagging road signs and other metal signs, which often become apartment and dorm room decorations for students.

But Penn State officials say the missing signs cost more than small change to replace.

Josh Kepner (sophomore-mechanical engineering) said he stole about 10 signs during high school but hasn't taken any from Penn State. Kepner said signs with funny sayings or unusual pictures, such as curvy road signs, usually attract him. "It's like a trophy," he said.

Some signs are easy to pull down because of weak mounting, which allow thieves to break the signs off the poles without much trouble, Kepner said.

Kepner said most of his thefts occurred when he was drinking with friends. "It's a little bit of a rush to do something like that," he said.

But Penn State officials say students' trophies can cost big bucks for the university to replace. "It gets very expensive," said Jim Lettiere, manager of facilities, resources and planning.

Over the summer, Penn State installed $1 million worth of new signs and maps across campus. Most of the metal signs range in price from about $125 to $500, depending on size, Lettiere said.

A road sign and pole originally cost the university about $510, Lettiere said. But because Penn State bought its signs in bulk, the university received a reduced price. To replace a stolen sign, Penn State must purchase it individually at a higher cost. The university must also pay labor costs to remove the old pole and install the new sign.

Penn State spends about $10,000 a year to fix problems caused by vandalism, such as stolen signs, Paul Ruskin, communications coordinator for Office of the Physical Plant, said. But compared to other universities, $10,000 is a low number, he said.

Since Penn State installed its new signs this summer, Ruskin said the university has had few problems.

"The public respect has been tremendous," he said. "We give credit. . . to the good common sense of our students."

Penn State Police Officer Stewart Neff said his department's statistics don't distinguish how many reported thefts are signs, so there are no clear numbers indicating how big of a problem sign theft is on campus or if it is increasing.

Neff said the offense is treated like any other theft, and suspects caught in the act may face hefty fines, which are determined by the court system.

Even if police don't see someone removing a sign, the person can still be caught, Neff said. "Sometimes we catch them in the act. . . sometimes we catch them with the sign in their possession," he said.

Neff said police are usually able to trace where the sign came from. "A lot of the signs are marked with a code. . . to identify the municipality it is from," he said.

If a student buys a sign somewhere, he should keep the receipt to avoid suspicion of foul play, Neff said.