![President Todd Pfannestiel poses with Jeremy Thurston chairperson Board of Trustees [left] and former chairperson Robert Brvenik [right] after accepting the university's institutional charter.](https://uticatangerine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/unnamed.jpeg)
At 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 28, Campus Safety was notified that Greenman Field, home of the Utica University Softball team, had been vandalized. Spray painted graffiti conveying a rambling message was plastered on the back of one of the dugouts facing Burrstone Road.
Shad Crowe, vice president for Facilities and Emergency Management, said the school contacted the Utica Police Department and are working closely with the city of Utica to fix the damage, which was likely caused by someone or a group of people living in a homeless encampment nearby.
“I think we’re all very frustrated by the vandalism to the dugouts,” Crowe said. “On several occasions, both Campus Safety and the UPD have discovered individuals within the dugouts and outbuildings. In the past, the individuals have explained that they live in an encampment nearby. Because they are not law enforcement, Campus Safety’s protocol is to request the people leave the property and to contact UPD if they refuse. Should there be any associated criminal activity occurring, Campus Safety calls UPD immediately and does not engage with the subjects.”
Over the summer, the Utica Police Department and the Oneida County Sheriff’s Department worked to remove the homeless encampment from private property south of the softball field. The homeless population that resided there were provided with access to local shelters and housing. Since then, the encampment has returned.
“It is very possible the individual(s) responsible for the damage to the field are part of this group of people,” Crowe said. “The messages on the buildings are certainly indicative of that possibility.”
Dr. Jeff Miller • Dec 6, 2024 at 9:54 am
What exactly does the message say? Rather than focusing exclusively on property damage and discounting it as “a “rambling message,” it would have been helpful if there were some effort to decipher what appears to be a grievance or cry for help. Equally helpful would have been sharing any evidence that support claims by authorities that it was “likely caused” by someone in the homeless encampment that, sadly, has existed across from campus for a very long time. Rather than demonizing people who lack shelter, we ought to be offering our empathy and compassion to our fellow human beings living outdoors in freezing temperatures, and thoughtful critique of the policy failures that lead to such inhumane living conditions for some of us in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.