PLYMOUTH, N.H.-During the past week, an unknown graffiti artist decorated various parts of campus with unreadable scribbles that have put Campus Police on alert. The back door of the Ellen Reed House (which houses the English Department’s main offices), a back door of Lamson Library, a trail leading from Boyd Hall to Pleasant Street, and an electrical box and a small, cement pillar outside the HUB were all tagged with plain, black paint. The graffiti on Reed, Lamson, and the HUB has the words “Wise D.M.” and another intelligible phrase next to it. The writings by Boyd say “New Rape Trail,” in reference to the nickname for a heavily wooded trail from the back of Boyd to Pleasant Street that has since been torn up by building construction.
Campus Police Chief John Clark said there are no suspects as of yet, but the incidents show a growing safety concern related to the Boyd Hall construction zone that will be formally investigated. Clark calls the Boyd site “an area in turmoil,” and says that two people have already been arrested for trespassing. “It is disheveled and it draws these types of behaviors,” he said. “We need to prevent this. If we didn’t stop this trespassing, something further would have happened.”
Chief Clark has assigned a special detail of Campus Police investigate the graffiti and uncover any suspects. This incident and last week’s bulletin board fire at Smith Hall are being investigated as acts of criminal mischief. “I am not going to label anyone,” he says. “It could be anyone. We have arrested plenty of people who were not students, but people commonly connect students with these things.” Regardless of who is responsible, Clark says that such acts reflect poorly on the school and its students. “This is inappropriate behavior. We will not tolerate this as police and we will not tolerate this as a college. This doesn’t happen when students value themselves and when they value other students.” Although he did not name any specific amount, Clark also said that Campus police could arrange a reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the graffiti artist.
While Campus Police are busy investigating these acts of vandalism, many professors in the Reed House, one of the most visible targets, say they did not notice the graffiti. “We got a letter about it, but I haven’t seen anything,” Professor Meg Petersen said while working in her office. “I saw some on that trail to Pleasant Street by Boyd that said something like ‘New Rape Trail.'” Professor Lynn Rudmin-Chong said that there are more important matters in the world. “Bush’s war talk is more obscene than graffiti,” she said. “I don’t care if he makes all the paint marks he wants to.”