'Grinch' steals snowman

Even snowmen are not safe these days. A 53" Styrofoam snowman was stolen from Stouffer Dining Commons on Monday evening, University Police said yesterday. Addie Flowers, the manager of Stouffer, said last night that she was very disappointed that someone was "selfish enough" to take the decoration which she said was meant for everyone. "The person that took the snowman took all of my holiday spirit [with it]," Flowers said. "I'm not planning to replace it. I don't think a person like that deserves [another one]." Flowers said the theft was not discovered until the following morning when the opening manager found it missing. She said she thinks whoever took the snowman probably came in between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday night. "We have to leave the doors open for students who are still eating inside," she said. "We figure someone just came right in and took it." She said Stouffer workers were not finished with holiday decorations for the dining hall, but that they decided to put up the snowman first. Flowers added the snowman was decorated with Penn colors. "It was really a nice winter scene out there," Flowers said. "It was a nondenominational thing that everyone could enjoy for what it was." Flowers said the whole scene, including the snowman and the cotton snow, was worth about $250, but she said it was not the cost that was important. "It's a shame we cannot have something in Stouffer that everyone can enjoy [without] someone taking it for their own pleasures," she said. Engineering freshman Gabriela Gonzales said last night that she was suprised when she found the snowman was missing. Gonzales said she works in the dining hall and was "disappointed" someone would steal such a "pretty" decoration. "I think we should have it back because it belongs to [Stouffer]," Gonzales said. "It's also pretty -- I want it back too." Stouffer workers put up a sign in the dining hall yesterday to explain the missing decorations and what they think of the thief who stole them. It reads, "A grinch stole our snowman -- Happy Holidays."

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