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The first snow of the semester was not the only thing to hit the Colorado State University campus early Monday morning, as an unknown person graffitied the phrases “Fuck Columbus” and “decolonize” on multiple buildings. The anarchy symbol was also included in some places.
For many students, the first graffiti they saw was next to the Transit Center outside of the Lory Student Center.
There was also graffiti on the Clark buildings, under Eddy, under some stairs outside the LSC and on the side of the Visual Arts building.
Student reactions to the graffiti were mixed, although more leaned towards not supporting the means of getting the message out.
“It’s dumb that they did it on the school,” said Alex Paul, an undeclared freshman. “There’s other ways to protest without vandalizing the school.”
Anna Slage, a junior wildlife biology major, was also critical of the graffiti.
“Usually I’m not a fan of graffiti. I get the point they’re trying to make with it, but I think they could do it in a much more constructive manner,” Slage said. “I think the second they turn it into something like graffiti, it turns it into a negative connotation. … I’m not a big fan of Columbus myself, but I think it’s not very constructive.”
Alliya King, a sophomore health and exercise science major, was more supportive of the message.
“If someone wants to express themselves, they should do it,” King said.
By 10 a.m., workers for Facilities Management began to paint over some of the graffiti.
The damages are estimated to total more than $10,000, according to CSU Senior Communications Coordinator Dell Rae Ciaravola.
The CSU Police Department is currently asking for anyone with information about the incidents to contact them at 970-491-6425.
This is a developing story. The Collegian will update this article as information is released.
Collegian reporter Stuart Smith can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @notstuartsmith. Collegian reporter Joe Manely contributed to this report and can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @joemanely.
