Several campus landmarks have been vandalized in advance of Saturday’s football game against Michigan State.
The Burton Memorial Tower on Central Campus and a wolverine sculpture on North Campus were both tagged with paint Friday morning.
The vandalism comes after reports Thursday that a statue of Magic Johnson in East Lansing had been spray painted with maize and blue.
“Competition is always heightened leading up to the Michigan-Michigan State game,” Kim Broekhuizen, a represenative from the University’s Office of Public Affairs, wrote in a statement. “Whoever is responsible for this spate of vandalism on our two campuses is only tarnishing the great in-state rivalry.”
The University’s chapter of the Theta Xi fraternity is currently engaged in their annual tradition of “defending the Diag” from vandalism in the days leading up to the football game.
According to Diane Brown, spokeswoman for the Division of Public Safety and Security, the paint had not yet been cleaned as of 12:30 p.m. Friday. She said there are no suspects.
Built in 1936, the Central Campus tower is home to a grand carillon and was built as a memorial to former University President Marion Leroy Burton, who served between 1920-1925. The wolverine statue is located at the northwest end of the North Campus reflecting pool and was donated by the 2001 graduating class from the College of Engineering. The bronze and stone statue was sculpted by University alum Dan Heikkinen.
