Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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the wall 17

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writing on the wall by Chris Dean the Wall. Built to protect students from Farrell Library ' s construction and expansion, The Wall became the centerpiece of controversy. Phrases such as Scool Suks, ' along with some profanity, and sexual and ethnic slurs, decorated the plywood barrier and stirred a debate about vandalism and freedom of expression. The administration ordered facilities to paint The Wall Sept. 19. A lot of really controversial items were on The Wall, (and) the shop was asked to take a look at painting it and cleaning it up a little bit, Randy Slover, director of facilities maintenance, said. So, we decided to paint it purple. K-State invested $320 in paint and overtime pay for workers to cover up The Wall. Some were upset about the decision. I understand why some of the more vulgar graffiti had to be covered up, but I sympathize with the artists who did really neat work and had it lost because of a couple vulgar sayings, Mike Newcomb, freshman in pre-medicine, said. The following day, student artists went to work on the newly painted Wall. Among the artwork was a large foot labeled ' Administration ' stepping on a group of stick people labeled ' Students. ' Artwork multiplied, and University officials decided The Wall had become a nuisance. There would be people who would want to stop and read what was going on, and there would be a press of people coming from both sides, Jerry Carter,director of facilities planning and University architect, said. It was getting to a point were The Wall wasn ' t providing for the safe passage of students, faculty and staff. Sept. 22, the day before The Wall came down, a group of students sponsored a Student Senate resolution called Save The Wall to stop its removal. Steffany Carrel, legislation co-sponsor, said the University should have strived to maintain The Wall as an avenue of free expression. It ' s protection from construction and an outlet for the artistic minds of campus, Carrel, senior in journalism and mass communications, said. Some students disagreed. I feel that The Wall was the private use of the University, and the students shouldn ' t have put things on it, John Potter, sophomore in finance, said. The profanity and the personal attacks against Pat Bosco (dean of student life) and others were offensive, he said. Hatred has no place at a university. Students walk past The Wall as workers replace the plywood with a chain-link fence. Although University officials cited offensive graffiti as the cause of its removal, some students blamed the upcoming Family Weekend. (Photo by Cary Conover) A chain-link fence surrounding Farrell Library shields students from construction. The Wall became an obstacle almost all students had to cope with as they walked to classes. Above: The Wall served as protection from library expansion as well as an artistic canvas and forum for free expression. (Photos by Cary Conover) 16 the wall

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18 construction