Worst of all, this person managed to raise like $500 this way.

I would like all of my classmates to donate one dollar to me as well. I carelessly made C's last semester, and as a result my BIGLAW position was stolen by someone else.

180 for the previous poster.

It sounds more like a Kerry speech - let's redistribute wealth! Woopee!

I find this a sign of immaturity and stupidity. When I was in law school (at a prestige school in the Bay Area) this would never had happened. We all had enough money that we did not have to beg for more from our fellow students. You should all be ashamed.

We all know who you are. Your law school reference gave you away. And your as big an asshole now as you were when you were a law student!

First of all, the loss of the laptop was not an act of carelessness by the owner. The computer was not left "unattended", but stolen right out from where the owner was standing in the hallway (in broad daylight, while classes where getting out, no less). This makes this particularly act of theivery all the more egregious. I agree that someone who leaves their laptop unattended in the library or a classroom has no right to complain when it disappears, but that just wasn't the case in this instance.

Second, it should be noted that the UCLA student whose laptop was stolen happens to be one of the most kind, caring, considerate (and as a result, one of the most popular) students in the 2L class. This student has committed many hours of service to making UCLAW a better school for us all. Had this laptop theft happened to some insignificant careless schmuck at the law school (of which there are plenty), I doubt there would've been an effort to raise funds, and there certainly would not have been such an outpouring of support. (I, for one, gave $5 to the fund).

Post-Script: BTW, the student in question did not hoard all the money that was raised, but instead shared it with similar students who had gotten their laptops stolen throughout the year. I wouldn't be so quick to judge someone you obviously don't know, especially when you can't even get your facts straight. I just hope next time you catch a run of bad luck, the solidarity and gracious demeanor of the UCLA student body is still alive and well enough to help you in your plight, and hasn't been diminished by your witless banter.

"We all had enough money that we did not have to beg for more from our fellow students."

Thanks for the elitist memoir. And on to the laptop... I agree with earlier poster who brings up the valid point that we have no idea what the circumstances were regarding the theft.

Regardless of its physical proximity, it was obviously "unattended" enough to be stolen unnoticed.

In the course of a school year, a lot of students have to endure difficulties a lot more severe than the loss of a totally replaceable piece of machinery. These people are not sending out melodramatic school-wide emails demanding compensation. It's tacky and childish.

MB, what you say is true. However, i think the success of the stolen-laptop fund, marked by the student body's response to one student's cry for help (however tacky or inappropriate) speaks a great deal to the school's character. Instead of using this act as a point of ridicule, the success of the drive should instead stand out as a testament to the type of collegiality and commraderie among UCLA students that is not often found at "prestige schools in the Bay Area" or elsewhere.

MB, the letter sounds like it was sent out on someone's behalf, so the individual in question isn't the one making the plea. It's also not a "demand" for "compensation." If you don't want to donate a dollar, don't. But your criticism is totally unfounded.