Wittenberg police will be constantly patrolling the area where the large metal university seal lives, to protect it from further attack and to make sure Saturday’s graduating class will be able to perform the “stomp the seal” tradition.
“They’re considering some other ways to help protect it,” Ron Reynolds, maintenance supervisor, physical plant, told News Center 7’s Monica Castro on Wednesday night.
“They’re going to do more police watches, continuously through the weekend to make sure before graduation nothing else takes place. Then we’ll go from there.”
Reynolds said his crew worked most of the day to repair the bricks and concrete ring surrounding the vandalized seal.
“We’re just glad we could get it back in order for the graduation,” Reynolds said.
Campus police have no known suspects to the crime, which was reported just after 8 a.m. Wednesday. Someone removed at least 104 bricks that surround the seal and put them atop a nearby stone wall. Someone then put the section of concrete ring in a nearby fountain.
Reynolds said it looked as though someone tried to remove the seal.
As well, someone took several letters off the university’s main sign. Reynolds said his crew has removed the remaining letters.
He said he can’t estimate a dollar amount for the damage because the letters are custom-made and more extensive repairs will have to be made on the seal -- including taking up the entire installation and re-securing it.
INITIAL REPORT
The main campus sign and the university seal at Wittenberg University were damaged Tuesday night, just days before the university celebrates graduation.
“These acts are inconsistent with our mission and community values,” the university said in a statement. “Wittenberg Police are engaged in an active investigation to find those responsible, and we are asking anyone with information to contact our police division.”
The university seal is part of a graduation tradition for the university every year. Students stomp on the seal as a symbol of their graduation.
We’re working to gather reaction from the campus community and whether the “stomp the seal” tradition will be affected this weekend. Commencement is 11 a.m. Saturday.
Anyone with information about the vandalism is urged to contact Wittenberg Police at 937-327-6231.
