By Aidan Mastandrea
News Editor
A recent slew of vandalism in Wolfe and Travers Halls has caused the College to step in and take action.
Freshmen occupy both Travers and Wolfe, and like many years prior, there have been issues with students being loud and damaging the building. Throughout the fall 2024 semester, students in Wolfe received multiple emails regarding a multitude of issues, including but not limited to defecating on bathroom walls and writing slurs with feces, and damage to elevators.
“It's important that you understand that this is not behavior that will be tolerated in the residence halls–or anywhere else on campus,” Residence Director Ky’Ara McCray wrote in an email sent to students on Dec. 4, 2024. “It shows a lack of maturity and a need for supervision that is greater than what a residence hall should need to provide."
The problems have carried over into the spring semester. Broken tiles in Wolfe in late February sparked an email to the students from Residential Education and Housing on Feb. 24.
“Students or their guests tore down ceiling tiles and urinated in the elevator. This behavior is unacceptable and disgusting,” the email said. “We recognize that this behavior does not reflect the upbringing and maturity of all our Wolfe residents, but it is something that we cannot tolerate.”
The College implored those who were not involved in the vandalism to speak out and report any knowledge they have regarding the incidents. There are many students who disavow the actions and wish it would come to a stop.
“I really feel bad for the custodial workers that have to clean up the mess of the people causing damage to the towers,” said Wolfe resident and freshman biology major Thomas Walega. “These people work hard to keep the towers clean, and to make their job harder is just being inconsiderate and disrespectful.”
On Feb. 28, Michelle Forbes, associate director of residential education, sent another email to residents of the towers, scheduling a mandatory meeting for all who live in Wolfe Hall.
“Nothing about this situation is funny; the fact that we have to inconvenience the entire community for a few people who are incapable of empathizing enough to maintain their community is extremely sad and a waste of people's time,” Forbes wrote.
The College has threatened the student residents with having to split repair costs, regardless of involvement. Forbes’ email also stated that a student “took responsibility for some of the damage.”
Parents have gotten involved as the threat continues to rain down on possibly innocent students.
On March 4. a parent of two students at the College penned a letter to the editor, outlining their concerns with living conditions in the towers.
“To now attempt to blame all the students of the Towers by passing those costs for the actions of a few is not appropriate,” the anonymous parent wrote. “While other universities in the area are investing and improving on-campus housing, the College has fallen behind the competition and is driving more and more students to off campus housing or commuting.”
The College quickly responded to the anonymous parent with a letter of their own, written by Sean Stallings, vice president of student affairs at the College.
“Many of our alumni and current students view living in the Towers as a rite of passage for first-year students that fosters deep connections and lasting memories,” said Stallings in his letter. “With respect to the vandalism, we are working with Campus Police to try to identify the individuals responsible and hold them accountable for their actions.”
The damage to the tiles has been repaired, and according to students who attended the mandatory meetings, the cost of damages is around $2,000.
“Constantly hearing about the vandalism, destruction and misbehavior in the Towers is very unfortunate and frustrating,” said Wolfe resident and early childhood education and psychology major Lyndsey Lorentzen. “It is not fair for punishment, warnings or fines to be given to all students who do abide by the rules, for possibly just one person’s wrong actions.”
Editor’s note: Isabella Darcy, The Signal’s managing editor, is employed by Residential Education and Housing, but was not involved in the reporting or editing of this article.
