Vandalism on campus continues to increase
Kate Miller, News Editor
Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: News
Fires, broken exit signs, and smashed lights: according to campus administrators, vandalism cases are increasing in severity on campus, leading to high community damage costs for students.
Amanda Stewart, residential life coordinator for Stuyvesant Hall, said average damages to university property in Stuy each weekend are about $425.
"The vandalism in Stuyvesant Hall appears to be a pattern, as Stuyvesant also suffered an extraordinary amount of vandalism over the past several years," she said.
Sophomore Logan Wolfe works for Safewalk and said campus vandalism seems to be increasing.
"One night when I was doing Safewalk, I walked into Stuy and someone had spray-painted a racial slur on the wall," he said. "I don't remember things like that happening last year."
Sophomore Dylan Stone said he thinks that Stuy's reputation encourages bad behavior.
"I think it's something that's just always going to happen," he said. "It's like people think that because it's Stuy, they're allowed to trash it."
Some of the vandalism, such as the Feb. 20 fire in Smith East, even puts students' lives at risk. According to the State Fire Marshal website, 153 deaths in 2009 were caused by fires.
Shane Cartmill, Public Information Officer at the State Fire Marshal, said people who set small fires often view them as harmless.
"But they're potentially life-threatening situations," he said. "They can get out of hand quickly or keep valuable resources from helping with other emergencies."
Bob Wood, Director of Public Safety, said the Smith fire classified as a felony. To ensure campus safety, Wood said Public Safety would operate on a "continuation of… close collaboration with local and state law enforcement."
Wood said the university is discussing other potential solutions to the vandalism problem.
"We will not rule out any options in addressing this issue, including cameras, but we don't plan to implement an OWU reward system for crime information," he said.
Stewart said it is the responsibility of students to help cut back on vandalism, and said that any students with information about any vandalism should tell Public Safety.
"With the consistently high volume of vandalism, it is highly improbable that no one has heard or seen anything," she said. "The students causing the vandalism are creating a negative and unsafe living environment…those who are witnesses to the vandalism and do not share this information are equally culpable in perpetuating this negative and unsafe environment."
Wood said anyone with knowledge about vandalism cases should contact Public Safety.
"I hope anyone with information will come forward - not because of a possible reward, but because it's the right thing to do."
Amanda Stewart, residential life coordinator for Stuyvesant Hall, said average damages to university property in Stuy each weekend are about $425.
"The vandalism in Stuyvesant Hall appears to be a pattern, as Stuyvesant also suffered an extraordinary amount of vandalism over the past several years," she said.
Sophomore Logan Wolfe works for Safewalk and said campus vandalism seems to be increasing.
"One night when I was doing Safewalk, I walked into Stuy and someone had spray-painted a racial slur on the wall," he said. "I don't remember things like that happening last year."
Sophomore Dylan Stone said he thinks that Stuy's reputation encourages bad behavior.
"I think it's something that's just always going to happen," he said. "It's like people think that because it's Stuy, they're allowed to trash it."
Some of the vandalism, such as the Feb. 20 fire in Smith East, even puts students' lives at risk. According to the State Fire Marshal website, 153 deaths in 2009 were caused by fires.
Shane Cartmill, Public Information Officer at the State Fire Marshal, said people who set small fires often view them as harmless.
"But they're potentially life-threatening situations," he said. "They can get out of hand quickly or keep valuable resources from helping with other emergencies."
Bob Wood, Director of Public Safety, said the Smith fire classified as a felony. To ensure campus safety, Wood said Public Safety would operate on a "continuation of… close collaboration with local and state law enforcement."
Wood said the university is discussing other potential solutions to the vandalism problem.
"We will not rule out any options in addressing this issue, including cameras, but we don't plan to implement an OWU reward system for crime information," he said.
Stewart said it is the responsibility of students to help cut back on vandalism, and said that any students with information about any vandalism should tell Public Safety.
"With the consistently high volume of vandalism, it is highly improbable that no one has heard or seen anything," she said. "The students causing the vandalism are creating a negative and unsafe living environment…those who are witnesses to the vandalism and do not share this information are equally culpable in perpetuating this negative and unsafe environment."
Wood said anyone with knowledge about vandalism cases should contact Public Safety.
"I hope anyone with information will come forward - not because of a possible reward, but because it's the right thing to do."
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