Editor,
I appreciate my campus. I enjoy it as an oasis in our desert town - full of green canopies, colorful flowers, as well as appealing and interesting public art.
This was, of course, before Friday. While walking to class, I was appalled to see that someone had assaulted my campus - our campus. Lazily applied in bright orange construction paint were words the author presumed would enlighten us all: "Must have job," "No more war," and a peace sign ironically not too far from an anarchy sign.
These simple but brilliant words were just what I was looking for to express my distaste with the world that brings me so much pain. Furthermore, I couldn't have thought of a better way to convey them than the destruction of public space: space, I remind you, that requires a large number of people to spend a lot of time and effort maintaining; time and effort that provides a deserved sense of accomplishment.
Our campus is a place of learning, a place that is supposed to keep ignorance at the gates and an institution that not only teaches the lessons of lives past but also trains its pupils for the lessons of the future. The assault of these crass messages has, in my opinion, not only been carried out in a contradictory manner, but has also disrespected our institution. The individuals responsible have painted on the faces of all students who appreciate the chance to learn in an aesthetic environment.
Our campus is public property. The defacing of another's property is violence. To violently convey a message of peace and anti-war is absurd. Ignorance is the only message conveyed when you deconstruct your own
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assertions.
Richard Doerfler
UNM student
