In Richmond, graffiti appears in many places, including the Fan District where some VCU students rent rooms, apartments and houses throughout the academic year.
“It’s a pretty common perception that the majority of (graffiti in the Fan area is) done by VCU students,” said Sgt. Jon McAchren of the VCU police. “Within the last two years between 20 and 30 students were charged with damaging property.”
McAchren said the Fan District, a neighborhood adjacent to VCU’s Monroe Park Campus, was hardest hit by student graffiti in the past few years. A tour of the neighborhood reveals some extent of the damage, where brick walls of restaurants, convenience stores and private residences fell victim to graffiti.
“Graffiti is a pretty large problem because of the amount of property that is damaged … It can go into thousands of dollars a year,” McAchren said, adding that many judges are taking a stronger stance on the issue. “A lot of people are getting jail time (and) community service.”
Deborah Allen, Richmond Police Department detective, said a conviction could carry a maximum 90-day sentence in jail plus fines covering the cost of property damage.
“Four years ago, we started a graffiti task force,” she said. “Richmond’s graffiti hotline brings in an average of 40 graffiti reports a month.”
Not only are Fan District homeowners displeased, but one VCU student calls it “pointless.”
“It’s like people have nothing better to do than just sit there and destroy stuff,” Jeff Watts, a freshman, said.
Walt Glazer, 46, who has lived in the Fan District for several years, said he has seen graffiti repeatedly appear in the alley behind his house.
“I don’t like it,” Glazer said. “It’s destructive and unattractive.”
Scott Phillips, a first-year student who lives in the same area, said he considers any expression of certain thoughts on anything to be an art form.
“In that sense, I really do enjoy graffiti,” he said, “as long as it’s not just to damage property.”
Ginger Vanhoozer, a senior, agrees that it sometimes represents an art form.
“I think that oftentimes graffiti can be beautiful art, but when it destroys other art like buildings and things, I think that’s when it undermines the respectability of what it can be,” she said.
Nonetheless, Reuban Rodriguez, associate vice provost and dean of student affairs, has to deal with VCU students and their graffiti works.
“I guess the line of thinking of these particular perpetrators,” he said, “is that it’s just an expression of their artistic creation, whereas it’s a criminal or civil violation of the law.”
Shortly after arriving at VCU this summer, Rodriguez became part of an effort to help curb student graffiti via this year’s VCU Resource Guide. It contains a revision to the university’s policy on students’ off-campus behavior. Rodriguez said VCU’s long-standing problem with graffiti influenced the new policy.
“The previous rules did allow the university latitude to pursue judicial action against students in their off-campus behavior. (The revision) really makes it more specific.”
2004-2005 Resource Guide states the stricter policy:
“In cases where off-campus conduct of a student has resulted in a criminal conviction or an adjudication of civil liability by a court of law, the University may exercise the right to impose sanctions of this document even though the off-campus conduct does not significantly impair the University-related functioning of another member of the University community or does not give rise to serious danger to the University community.”
Though some are skeptical that the new policy will have any or much effect, Rodriguez said he hopes for the best.
“We’ve gotten the information out to the students…but it’s something we hope to use judiciously and not very often.”
Julie Gerdes, editor of the Frank W. Cox High School newspaper in Virginia Beach, contributed to this story.