Recent vandalism in the Erickson dormitory hall displayed ideas associated with Nazi ideology. The damages can range from $100-200.
“I got an email from one of my residents saying there was a swastika etched in one of the bathroom stalls and that it really offended and bothered her,” said Alexandra Kerr, who is a Community Adviser in Erickson.
The vandalism occurred on Apr. 15 on the C wing of the second floor of Erickson and has since been covered up with help from facilities. Evan Weyrauch, Resident Director of the hall, sent an email to the Erickson community addressing the issue and laid down the possible consequences of the entire section of the floor being fined if no one was to come forward.
Under the Housing Code of Conduct, the college states that “any loss or destruction of property in public areas of residential units shall be paid for by occupants associated with the public area.”
Weyrauch explained how the sign went against the community principles of the residence halls; of his top three, he addressed accountability, care and respect. The Nazi ideology behind the sign is not something that is allowed on the residence halls; however, the sign seems to have been there longer than when it was first discovered, according to Weyrauch.
“Normally what happens is the floor is responsible for [the damages], however I have been talking with the CA who has been hearing from her residents that it’s been up for a longer period of time,” said Weyrauch. No one is certain of whether the sign was drawn in the time frame of it being reported or if this was just recently noticed after a period of time.
Weyrauch sees it unfair to hold the whole floor responsible for this incident, and the damages will go toward the Office of Residential Life. There still isn’t a definite price on how much the office will have to pay.
Compared to a lot of the other resident halls, Erickson doesn’t acquire many damage reports. Weyrauch adds this to promoting a safe community for its residents.
A work order was filled out to have the sign removed, and within two days of it being reported the sign was covered up. The repercussions for this incident will lead more into an intervention than monetary punishments for the residents of the second floor.
