The first week of classes at UNM saw an unprecedented spike in the amount of vandalism on campus, University maintenance officials said.
They said windows were broken and more than four UNM buildings and 10 new campus maps were tagged.
The College of Education building was tagged with graffiti every day last week, said Gary Smith, associate director for environmental services, maintenance and operations at UNM. He said graffiti incidents occur frequently in the first week of classes.
“This year is no exception, but (the graffiti) is probably a little more dramatic because it encompassed larger surfaces.”
Vandals tagged the art building, Scholes Hall, Dane Smith Hall, a number of new campus maps, new outside directories, phone poles and trash cans last week, Smith said.
The clean-up process took 40 hours and cost nearly $2,000, Smith said.
“The unfortunate thing is that in a time where we are already suffering budget woes and reduced services, we’re taking money that can otherwise be spent for the general student body and services we provide to address graffiti,” Smith said. “So, how do you as a student want your that we do tuition spent — on first-rate facilities, or on cleaning up vandalism that a few people are doing that takes away from everything?”
