University safety has identified a student in connection to a series of complaints around hateful vandalism that occurred during the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) elections.
All three slates in the election filed a report Feb. 19 detailing times and locations of several instances of campaign material destruction and racist and homophobic graffiti on posters around campus.
In conclusion to an investigation that involved Equity Services, Student Affairs, and the department of university safety, a male student was identified through surveillance tapes and, after questioning, was found responsible for some of the vandalism, according to university safety community liaison Mark Hargreaves.
While no criminal charges have been laid, Student Affairs director Ryan Flannagan, with a role in disciplining actions that fall under the university’s behaviour policy, will be following up with the student.
“They are very serious,” said Flannagan about the vandalism incidents. “There’s certainly no place for them in our community.”
The three slates were targeted in different ways.
Campus elections typically see some vandalism, mostly posters being torn down, but the campaign managers of this year’s slates were shocked by the offensive graffiti found during their morning rounds.
Arpita Dar, elected RRRA vice-president (programming) under the New Leadership slate, had the word “terrorist” written across her face on a poster found by campaign manager Hailey Mahoney in the Minto Centre.
Mahoney said she immediately took the poster to RRRA’s chief electoral officer.
“We didn’t know if someone was seriously angry,” she said. “We were seriously concerned for her safety.”
She said Dar was visibly shaken and didn’t travel alone in the tunnels at night.
Equity slate, led by presidential candidate Reilly Vamplew, provided photos of posters which had speech bubbles drawn on with marker with sexual remarks, homophobic slurs, and other personal attacks.
Vamplew said the slate’s vice-president (programming) candidate Amy Yee was targeted with racist graffiti.
Members of the Better Together slate had some of their posters vandalized with ‘Hitler’ moustaches, said campaign manager Harrison Boyd.
Boyd said he also found vandalized postcards taped around campus between the Unicentre and residence.
The postcards had the candidates’ faces burned out and “CUSA CLONES” written in marker along the bottom, a reference to the Carleton University Students’ Association. Underneath their names was the year their fraternities were founded.
Boyd said he found the numbers similar to labels given to people in Nazi concentration camps, and said some team members were concerned that, as Jewish students, they were being targeted.
The cost of replacing vandalized posters was not included in final campaign budgets, so campaign managers were not penalized for the extra spending.
Boyd said Better Together alone likely lost around $150.
In addition to the financial impact, both campaign managers and Vamplew said the emotional impact of being targeted by such personal and aggressive attacks was of more concern.
“It’s physically affected their health,” Boyd said.
He said the targeted candidates took time to visit health and counselling.
“I’d just really like to see the individual responsible kind of step up to the plate and take responsibility. Maybe explain what motivated them to go out of their way to bring detriment to the candidates,” he said.
