The College Fix

‘[T]his act attacks foundational principles embedded in our mission statement,’ president says

Protesters on Monday spray painted anti-Trump messages on a bridge at Norwich University, a military school in Vermont.

The messages included “MAGA = New Fascist Party,” “Enlistee Serve De-enlist Fascism Today,” “End White Supremacy,” and “Truth is on the side of the oppressed,” MyNBC5 reported.

University officials are unsure whether the individuals involved are part of the Norwich community, according to the school’s newspaper, The Guidon.

“This morning, we discovered graffiti defacing the Class of 1959 Bridge,” university President John Broadmeadow wrote an email sent to students and faculty.

“My initial feelings are of profound disappointment; not only because someone decided to hide behind the anonymous destruction of university property, but because this act attacks foundational principles embedded in our mission statement,” he wrote.

He also urged the community to “participate in constructive dialogue, not destroy property.”

“We want to empower you to courageously state your convictions and not hide behind anonymity. And we ask all of us to tolerate the opinions of others and not inflame passions,” the president wrote.

“Unfortunately, there is no camera at the bridge or overflow footage from the commuter lot,” Colonel William Passalacqua wrote in an email to Commanders and Command Sergeant Majors.

“A long shot, please ask your chain of command if anyone saw any black paint washed off in a residence hall or barracks sink,” he wrote.

One student told MyNBC5 he is “both proud and saddened” by the incident.

“I’m proud that the membership or the student body here is angry about what the federal government is doing. And I’m saddened that they have to step out and do this,” sophomore Alex Dees said.

History Professor Rowland Brucken told The Guidon graffiti has historically “been the pen (or spray can) of young people who feel threatened, marginalized, or forgotten.”

“It is a cry of conscience, which can also be seen as misdirected, disrespectful, and destructive,” he said.

According to university policies, vandalism or property damage will result in penalties ranging from suspension to dismissal.

In another act of vandalism this month, pro-Palestinian protesters at Cornell University doused the statue of its founding President Andrew Dickson White in bright red paint, The College Fix reported.

Photos taken by a Cornell insider and provided to The Fix show the statue completely hidden behind a large black tarp to hide the graffiti, which resembled blood and included the words “divest from death” and “occupation = death.”

MORE: Columbia’s fall semester kicks off with vandalism, anti-Israel protest

IMAGE: MyNBC5-WPTZ/Youtube

Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter