The Rules and Elections Committee of the Student Senate, in conjunction with the Department of Public Safety, successfully apprehended a vandal on campus last week. The student was not a candidate in the upcoming elections but felt that the act was making a political statement.
“We’re extremely pleased to come through in apprehending the vandal,” said Mary Kate DiTursi, RNE chair. “This does not happen all the time.”
The student has been referred to the Dean of Students’ Office for disciplinary action. Since he is not a candidate, which would warrant greater punishment, he is entitled to the normal judicial procedure.
March 25, after candidates had begun hanging signs throughout campus, RNE patrols discovered that the CII and footbridge had been essentially “denuded” of campaign materials, said DiTursi. Because of new procedures aimed at deterring vandals, the committee was able to narrow down the time of the incident and rule out other causes such as cleanup by physical facilities personnel. The real breakthrough came, however, through an anonymous tip provided to RNE. When taken into custody by Public Safety, the student signed a full confession and was reportedly very cooperative and apologetic.
Student government candidates are assigned a spending limit for their campaigns, and are seldom granted extensions on this limit despite problems like vandalism, said DiTursi. For Grand Marshal and President of the Union candidates this limit is $250, for senator and undergraduate class officer it is $100, and for class representative, graduate representatives, independent council representatives, and alumni offices it is $50.
Some of the signs ripped down by the student were color reproductions, said DiTursi, which cost well over a dollar apiece and can have a severe impact on a candidate’s budget. RNE and DOSO are working to gather monetary compensation from the student for the candidates, DiTursi said, while pointing out that spending extensions would still be unlikely.
This is not the only incident of vandalism this year. At least two, and possibly three, banners were also stolen last week. One was at least partially torn away by wind, but it is unclear whether vandalism was also involved. One banner hung up on the Troy Building was torn down within nine hours of its mounting, before RNE patrols even saw it.
The efforts to stop campaign vandalism have been strengthened this year after the problems associated with the last GM Week. There was so much damage last year that “the candidates lost motivation and stopped putting up signs. It just didn’t look like GM Week on campus,” said DiTursi
There are also new requirements for the candidates regarding signs. This is the first year that RNE has held a mandatory cleanup day for campaign signage. “We really want to make sure we leave campus the way we found it,” DiTursi said. “We really want more quality, and less mess.”
