The concrete-letter “LOYOLA” sign at the corner of Calhoun and Freret Streets could be permanently removed, according to university officials.
However, University Police and Physical Plant continue to discuss possible solutions to the chronic problem of vandals hitting similar signs all around campus. Repairs to the signs have cost the university more than $1,200 so far this year.
According to police records, vandalism of the signs is not a new problem but is one that has become more frequent this year.
According to Police Captain Roger Pinac, the vandals have broken and sometimes stolen the letters.
“The letters are usually damaged on party nights – Thursday, Friday, or Saturday nights,” Pinac said. “Sometimes they (the police) will catch the ones up on St. Charles, but recently it has been the one back on Freret and Calhoun streets.”
“We patrol the area, but we cannot guard the concrete letters,” Pinac said when asked what the University Police are doing to prevent the vandalism from going on further.
“There has been no permanent solution,” said Assistant Director of the Physical Plant David Huffman.
However, he said that the simplest solution to the vandalism might be the removal of the concrete letters.
Huffman said that, although they may not replace the now-absent Freret Street sign, they have not decided whether they will remove all of the signs.
Huffman confirmed that the sign at Freret has been under attack more lately.
The letters have been missing since Mardi Gras, and some students think that they will not be returning.
Allowing the destruction of the letters to continue unabated is unacceptable, according to many students.
“I think it would be good to set up camera surveillance to catch the thieves in action,” said communications sophomore Eliana McCaffery. “They should spend the money on preventing the vandalism, because they’re going to be spending that money on continuously repairing the letters otherwise.”
Criminal justice freshman Brandy Oliver offered another possible solution.
“They should make it one large sign so that it is too heavy to steal,” Oliver said, “or at least slows them down enough to make it easier to catch them in the act.”
McCaffery commented on the vandals, saying, “Whoever is responsible for stealing the letters is obviously trying to stir up trouble with the university, and I think what they are doing is shameful.”
Thomas Slack can be reached at [email protected].
