Vandalism has been around, in some form or another, since before the French Revolution. It comes from the term “vandal,” that was used as a slur towards barbarians in the 400s. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the meaning changed to “willful or malicious destruction or defacement of public or private property.”
Vandalism has become a trend and a costly one at that. According to the Home Office of Britain and the British Crime Survey, “the estimated economic and social cost of criminal damage in England and Wales for 2003/04 was 2.2 billion.”
Now, that might not be here in America, but it should give you some sort of idea as to how much of an impact people make when they choose to vandalize. Though some people do create graffiti to express themselves, they could just as easily get a canvas and have their work in their own home, rather than on the side of a building or train.
According to Harvard School of Public Health surveys, “about 11 percent of college student drinkers report that they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol.”
Vandalism is nothing new, but lately it has become more and more of a trend on college campuses. People get bored, drunk, or pressured and decide it’s a great idea to mess up something that isn’t theirs.
In the past two years, there have been several incidents of vandalism on campus. The most recent was the tagging of Hege-Cox and the damaging of prints, among other things.
Other acts of vandalism on campus include the incident in the men’s bathroom on the third-floor of Milner last year, broken windows in the Community Center in Dec. 2006, Public Safety cars and Ford Mustangs getting their tires slashed in Jan. 2006, car break-ins in the Old Apartments in Feb. 2008, and the incidents in the library in March 2008.
Most of these incidents had consequences.
Milner residents had to meet in the first-floor lounge before class very early one morning and surveillance cameras were installed in the Community Center.
Some students abused the freedom that the library gave them and left beer bottles and used condoms in the bathrooms. So, the lower floor of the library closed at 11:45 p.m., rather than the usual 2 a.m.
Due to the vandalism in Hege-Cox, art students might not have 24-hour access to the building. If anyone knows anything about who is responsible for the damage, please tell a faculty member or call Public Safety.