Please, for the love of God, do NOT buy anything with cruiser bars. The guy parking next to you will thank you. I will thank you.

To tell you the truth, like the others have said, it's really a toss-up and it's really how you lock it. For instance, I ride a 2009 Rockhopper and it's been untouched compared to my previous bike (a worn-out freebie Sears bike)as I now lock the frame AND wheels together. Saddle too. Lock the wheels to the frame and the frame to something solid and you're good to go. Take your lights as well. Failure to lock properly will mean that I can pick up what's left of your bike for $5 at the auction (I actually bought a Marin frame with cranks for what looks like that reason).

The "hot" thing on campus now is SS/fixed - it's almost hilarious to see a bike with Aerospoke and/or Deep-Vs parked next to a bike worth 1/10th of the wheels.

Recommendation? Find a bike. Is it mechanically sound and it fits? Are you alright if it gets ripped off, slammed against a metal pole, or crashed? If your answers are yes to all of the above, buy it.