Vandalism on the rise, costs escalate

Vandalism at Luther College has been an increasing problem in recent years. Last year alone, over $20,000 was spent replacing lost or damaged signs, caf dishes and other
miscellaneous items.

While Luther does have significantly less reported vandalism than other schools, it is important to note that reported cases on campus have risen over the last few years.

“Last year we had 21 incidents of damage to property that were recorded,” Director of Campus Safety and Security Bob Harri said. “I would say this year, with all the signs, if
we’re not already at that number, we’re rapidly approaching it.”

Not only has the number of incidents increased, repairs have also been more costly. This is due to the number of lost or damaged signs, a damaged piano and a broken bench,
which was the gift of a donor. Already this year, to replace only the lost or damaged signs would be over $10,000.

“We had two educational signs along the path from Baker [Village] to [Sampson Hoffland] that talked about the prairie, rain gardens and the oak savanna that just disappeared,”
Assistant to the President Karen Martin-Schramm said. “It just makes me heartsick to see these signs destroyed because so much work has gone into them.”

Another major issue of concern is the stolen floor and dorm room signs in the residence halls. Many students take their old room number with them when they leave a dorm
for the year as a type of souvenir.

“What students don’t realize is that signs are a requirement from code,” Vice President for Finance and Administration Diane Tacke said. “The signs not only have to say the room number, but also have to have Braille so a student without
sight would be able to feel them. That’s why we can’t just paint the number on there – because it doesn’t meet code.”

While stealing residence signs is not a new issue, other types of vandalism at Luther are different this year.

“There’s been more of what I would consider senseless damage this year than in the last two years,” Harri said.

“We’re seeing a lot of bicycles get thrown around, so it’s both college property and personal property being damaged. I think it’s more of poor judgment, maybe it’s releasing energy, but it’s destructive and
expensive.”

To help address these vandalism issues, various students have been asked about types of solutions to help stop the vandalism.

“We’re trying to put it in the hands of students, like Student Senate to say ‘OK, what are some solutions to this?’” Tacke said. “One of the things I’ve
heard students say is maybe we offer a significant reward for information because someone must know who’s doing this, so would a reward system work?"

Another possible solution would be to create an additional part of tuition that goes to paying for vandalism expenses.

“We’re hopeful that getting the word out will decrease the vandalism,” Tacke said. “If it doesn’t, the only thing we can do is to establish a bucket of money in our budget to manage this. That will
have an impact on comprehensive fee, but right now we don’t have that bucket.”

Luther is hopeful that this extra fund won’t be needed if more awareness is raised.

“I think this is a big step – just to raise awareness,” Martin-Schramm said. “We’re trying to be responsible and give kids freedom and nice things, but when this stuff happens you just
beat yourself up because it’s frustrating and it costs money and then everybody gets frustrated with the cost of higher education.”

The bottom line is that Luther needs to work together in order to prevent the costs and damages of vandalism.

“It’s one of those issues that takes a community effort where everyone needs to get involved,” Harri said. “We would encourage people if they see some damage to let us know about it and we would certainly appreciate any help
in getting students to discourage their friends from participating in that kind of thing."