While many consider graffiti a form of art, making it on University of Saskatchewan property is quite costly for the administration to remove — both in time and money.

Graffiti — unapproved writings or drawings on public surfaces and spaces — is mostly found in our university’s washrooms and libraries. From romantic prose to derogatory statements, one can find various types of graffiti on university property, particularly in the Arts Building and the Murray Library.   

In university washrooms, people often write or draw right above the urinals or inside the toilet stalls — I guess it is the quickest way to bag as many pairs of eyes for their work as possible.

I am often amazed at the amount of effort these people put into draw such graffiti. It requires them to pull out a pen, find a suitable time of loneliness in the washroom and scribble their message, all the while relieving themselves.

Study desks and walls of the cubicles in Murray Library aren’t spared either. Often portraying racist, sexist or violent themes, such graffiti can be offensive to the students and the library staff — neither of whom would wish to read such demeaning messages before or during their time at work.

A disturbing message — or a message of any sort for that matter — serves only to distract students from the much needed hard work that brought them to the library in the first place.

Graffiti is usually drawn using permanent markers or is forcefully embedded into the wood by a pen. Not only is it time consuming to remove such graffiti as it requires several efforts of cleaning and re-painting, the removal process can also be incredibly costly, especially in a space the size of a university library.

The costs can include new cleaning solutions, paint and in extreme cases, new furniture. Unfortunately, it seems the U of S administration has shunned the option of updating the furniture in fears of repetition of similar damage to its property.

At the end of the day, this only makes our study places dirtier and less attractive. Think about it: the time spent by the university staff on removing graffiti could be spent on cleaning or organizing the washrooms and libraries respectively. 

Moreover, the U of S is proudly the epicenter of many academic and social events in the province. Prominent figures and students regularly visit our campus from other parts of the country and the world.

In opposition to the unique architecture and the natural beauty that our campus offers to our guests, the existing graffiti becomes a source of unpleasantness and impairs our collective image as an academic institution. I am sure this doesn’t help to raise our standing among other universities in the country.

Does this mean I’m discouraging people from expressing themselves through creative art forms? Of course not. In fact, I believe that graffiti has the power to creatively express one’s heartfelt opinions.

All I am asking is that we channel our creativity and works to legal and appropriate publishing spaces such as display boards or newspaper sections instead of damaging U of S property. It is by respecting our place of education that we will be able to gain greater respect for the education we receive.

Graffiti is considered to be “unsightly damage or unwanted vandalism” by U of S Protective Services. In the event that you wish to report vandalism on the campus, Protective Services can be reached at 306-966-5555.

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Affan Hasan

Photo: Laura Underwood / Layout Manager