Williams faculty, staff, students,
Just after Saturday midnight a Campus Safety officer, responding to a report, found that the Haystack Monument in Mission Park had been defaced with spray-painted graffiti. The graffiti included an obscenity along with the words and phrases “Pagan Rule,” “Blood,” “Ouch,” and “Hail Satan.”
Custodial staff promptly removed much of the spray paint. Facilities colleagues are now arranging to have the cleaning completed.
Damaging property is a violation of Williams policies and the law, and costs time and money to address. Campus Safety Services (CSS) will try to identify the person or people responsible. They will also alert the Williamstown Police. If you have information that might be relevant, please contact CSS at 413-597-4444. You may remain anonymous if you wish. If you noticed the graffiti at any time before midnight on Saturday please share that information with them, too, since it might help us pinpoint the time of the offense.
The Haystack Monument has been a focal point for ongoing campus discussions about Williams’ institutional history. We expect those discussions to continue in the next academic year. Meanwhile, our colleagues in the Chaplains’ Office and the Davis Center, among other areas, are available to talk with anyone concerned about the impact of this incident on themselves or our community.
Again, if you have information that might be relevant to this incident, please contact CSS at 413-597-4444.
Maud