Young Democrat’s Clean Graffiti to “Stop the Insanity”
Volunteers, sponges and cleaning supplies were at work Sunday
afternoon as the Young Democrats cleaned up graffiti around the
Lory Student Center and other parts of campus.
The cleanup crew of five removed Saddam Hussein posters backed
with permanent adhesive on the Natural Resource Building, as well
as the Clark Building. They also cleaned up the spray-painted words
“I love Bush” on the student center’s east sidewalk.
“Some of the spray paint didn’t come off as well as we would
have liked,” said the group’s president, junior political science
major Ashleigh McBeth. The group is looking into other ways to at
least cover or fade those parts.
The effort, named “Stop the Insanity,” was organized in response
to recent controversy surrounding graffiti on campus, particularly
about the College Republicans’ “Campus Insanity” graffiti
project.
The “Campus Insanity” project is a way for students to express
their criticism of anti-conservative messages on campus through a
collection of photos on the groups Web site at
www.csurepublicans.com.
Josh Metten, the Young Democrat’s vice president, said “Stop the
Insanity” also stemmed from the group’s “collective desire to
maintain the beauty of this campus.”
McBeth said the group designed “Stop the Insanity” to have a
hands-on approach.
“We feel that this is a problem, so we decided to take action,”
said Doug Knight, the group’s treasurer and a junior political
science major.
Metten invited members of his group and also extended an
invitation to the College Republicans, who did not attend the
clean-up event.
While both groups have spoken of graffiti projects on campus,
Metten and McBeth said that “Stop the Insanity” is different. The
difference is that the Young Democrat’s want all graffiti cleaned
up, regardless of any political messages behind the destruction,
they said.
The group wants to continue the effort to stop any unsightly
graffiti as long as it is within their means.
“It’s not a one-time political move,” Metten said.
While cleaning up the graffiti, McBeth said they were very
cautious with the surface beneath the markings to not cause more
damage to the property.
Volunteers scraped off aged adhesive using scrubbing pads and
putty knives. They used cleaning product, Goof-off, from Facilities
Management to soak off areas with spray paint.
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