By: Savanny Savath, Staff Writer
The start of the spring semester and new classes were not the only events that occurred on campus during the first week of February. During that week, students began noticing that a few of their car stickers had been peeled off. The car stickers included Pi Kappa Phi fraternity stickers but the majority was of Bernie Sanders stickers.
The exact number of students with missing stickers remains unclear, but seniors Tucker Lawson and Tyler Woolley were some of those students.
“I was pretty angry about this. My car was targeted because somebody, most likely in a fraternity, disagreed with my political views and felt compelled to commit larceny on my vehicle. I was pretty angry, and I still am. This kind of action is very immature and goes against everything that Wofford College stands for as a Liberal Arts institution,” says Woolley.
“There had been an attempt to rip it off sometime earlier but they only got a small chunk. I have a few stickers on the back of my car and they all mean something to me. The stickers I put on the back of my car are how I identify my car and myself. So ripping off my sticker is almost like attacking my identity. [The people responsible may] not like Bernie and of course that’s expected, but there are many better ways to show your disapproval of Senator Sanders. I like to think they are somehow offended by the sticker and need to take it down. That of course would be ridiculously ironic seeing as many conservatives think liberals such as myself are too sensitive,” says Lawson.
Junior Ian Telford did not have any of his stickers removed but he does have friends who had their stickers peeled off.
“I personally am not for Bernie Sanders at all. I have huge disagreements with him. But you do not have to be a Sanders supporter to know that kind of behavior is absolutely childish and disrespectful to one’s property. It’s possible that it was not even a Wofford student or staff, but if it was, I would be very disappointed. Frankly, that kind of behavior should be beneath a Wofford student, as this is an institution that prides itself on intellectual diversity and respect,” says Telford.
The person or persons responsible is also unknown, but there have been discussions of the incident on the social media platform Yik Yak. It has incited some contention with people approving or disapproving of the crimes.
“I have seen posts on Yik Yak where people have ignorantly stated, ‘Why can’t I take something that’s not mine? That’s what Bernie wants to do.’ These people try to justify committing crimes through political rhetoric and it’s incredibly embarrassing and immature,” says Woolley.
In response to the incident, Lawson sent in a biased incident report. He along with Telford and Woolley hope that these actions are noted and properly accounted for in the efforts that such crimes will not happen again.
“I would hope that students and faculty would take note of what has happened and condemn these actions. This may not have happened to a lot of people, but it should not be ignored. If this was indeed a Wofford student, I only ask that you conduct yourself how a student of Wofford College should and respect people’s opinions and their property,” says Telford.
