Evergreen sees increase in graffiti

BY HEATHER WOODWARD | THE OLYMPIAN • Published November 16, 2007

OLYMPIA — Incidents of graffiti-spraying have been on the rise at The Evergreen State College, and some of it is related to protests of military-cargo shipments at the Port of Olympia, college officials said Thursday.

Graffiti isn’t uncommon on college campuses, but such vandalism has increased in recent weeks, said Jason Wettstein, an Evergreen spokesman. Numbers detailing how many places have been tagged weren’t available Thursday.

The College Activities Building and some dormitories recently have been marked by graffiti. One dorm that students said was tagged Wednesday night or early Thursday had graffiti in large black letters that read, “F--- cops.” At a nearby utility box, graffiti read, “Resist port militarization.”

Evergreen’s police services are investigating, Wettstein said.

“They’re working really hard to get to the bottom of it,” he said.

Each instance costs the college money to either clean or repair the damage, Wettstein said.

Some Evergreen students said they supported graffiti as a form of political or artistic expression. Others said the practice is immature.

“I don’t think this helps change anything,” said Charles Asner, 20, an Evergreen freshman. “You don’t fight by breaking the law.”

Wettstein said he knew some Evergreen students and staff have participated in the port protests but added that the college isn’t involved in those decisions. He added that Evergreen doesn’t offer course credit for protest participation.

“They’re making personal choices to participate in events,” Wettstein said. “Like most colleges, Evergreen strives to make room for a multiplicity of views.”

Heather Woodward covers education for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-4225 or hwoodward@theolympian. com.