Staff Editorial: Enough is enough

Editorial Board of The Lawrentian

Unfortunately, over the past few weekends Sage Hall has been repeatedly vandalized. The printer in the computer lab was damaged. A chair was broken, and a hole was made in a fourth floor wall. Additionally, a racist comment was carved into a pressing room door. Sage Residence Hall Director and Student Organization Coordinator/Greek Advisor Rose Wasielewski is considering charging residents for the costs of repair.

It seems that in the past few years, Sage has suffered from chronic problems with vandalism. However, the past incidents of vandalism in Sage were not as destructive as the more recent acts. Sadly, vandalism on campus is not just limited to Sage. Last spring in particular, walkway lights and benches were repeatedly vandalized.

The obvious solution is for students to be more responsible, and to find other outlets for their aggressive tendencies. Students who have information about the vandalism should contact security or an RLA. Another possible solution would be to have security officers monitor troublesome areas on weekends.

Wasielewski gathered the Sage community for a discussion about the recent vandalism. As a result, they formed a community watch program, encouraging students to be on guard, and to report any suspicious behavior that they witness. This seems like a great approach to the problem, which empowers the many Sage residents who are not involved with the vandalism to become part of the solution.

Besides the acts of vandalism, the racist comment is even more disturbing, considering that Lawrence strongly promotes themes of tolerance and diversity. In this way, the vandalism goes beyond physical damage. We are deeply disturbed that a fellow student is capable of such intolerance, and that act damages the mutual trust and respect we hold for each other.

We at The Lawrentian condemn these destructive, hateful acts. We feel that all Lawrentians should respect the campus as our school and home. Because students pay tuition to attend Lawrence, it makes little sense to damage university property. Furthermore, racist vandalism damages the relationship we have for each other as a community. Our campus community deserves better.