Student Affairs reports campus instances of vandalism

UC Santa Barbara Student Affairs addressed campus instances of vandalism in an April 19 mass email to the campus community, citing spray painting on campus buildings and defacement of signage of Jewish students. 

“Specifically, we have seen a rash of vandalism — some incidents so significant that they might be classified as serious crimes (e.g., spray painting on campus buildings; and defacement of the signage of Jewish students) — causing distress to individual students and harming the integrity of our campus community as a whole,” the email read. 

These instances of vandalism include an unnamed individual spray painting the word “Zionist” over Associated Students (A.S.) presidential candidate and second-year computer science major Ephraim Shalunov’s campaign board on April 19, as well as red spray paint on Storke Tower on April 16. University spokesperson Kiki Reyes could not provide any details on the vandalism on Storke Tower. 

Shalunov denounced the vandalism on his campaign board in a statement to the Nexus and in reference to the email. 

“The targeted vandalism of my campaign board last night was reprehensible. It speaks to a larger campus climate issue; a lack of respect for cultural and idealistic differences,” the statement read. “The graffiti also revealed a fundamental truth of this campaign against me.”

Current A.S. President and fourth-year political science and communication double major Tessa Veksler also referenced the Student Affairs email in a personal post on her Instagram, speaking to an “X” being scratched onto a poster that included her photograph. 

The Nexus will continue to report on this topic as more information becomes available.