Student opinion regarding the theft of T’s from campus signs was divided. Some students said that the spike in T-thefts in recent weeks made the campus look visually unappealing.
“Taking the Ts makes our campus look like crap,” said Zee Dhanani, a second-year ISyE major, who said that the decision of the administration to crack down on T thefts would make Tech “not look like a poor campus.”
“I understand the tradition at Tech, but it does get a little messy when you’re walking around campus,” said Lindsey Walton, a second-year MGT major.
However, there were some students who looked at the matter as a continuation of a tradition, or even a non-issue.
“The current methodology of tackling the problem is a little extreme,” said Andrew Benton, a second-year ME major. “Kids are doing it for fun, not with the intention of hurting property. It’s a part of tradition which is something most colleges don’t have.”
Second-year AE major Kevin Morillas believes the recent policy of the institution to be “ridiculous.”
“It’s not worth all this trouble,” Morillas said. “People are going to steal the T’s regardless of how much time and money Tech spends on preserving them. At a bus stop, some people have nothing better to do than to scratch [off] a T and feel cool.”
For first years Ryan Quinn, a AE major, and Jeremy Greenwald, a CE major, their involvement in a T-theft could cost them their semester here at Tech.
“We were hanging out one night, and there was a campus organization that was involved,” Quinn said. “We talked about taking the T from the Architecture Building. Jeremy and I were the ones who actually took the two T’s.”
However, these first-years had little knowledge of campus and were unaware of the consequences of stealing a T.
“My campus tour, my time at FASET, and one week of hanging out at Tech were the only interactions I had with the school, none of which warned me about any repercussions of stealing the T,” Quinn said.
The two were encouraged by other members of a campus organization to steal the T.
“They gave us the materials to [take the T], and cheered for us when we got back,” Quinn said. “We were heavily influenced by the campus organization, with both material and emotional support for doing it.”
Greenwald’s assistant track coach suspected an athlete from the team of stealing the T’s. Upon hearing this, the two, on their own accord, returned the stolen T’s to the police.
“At the police station, they took a police report and turned the case over to the Office of Student Integrity,” Quinn said. “In about a week, we got an email with our punishment.”
Greenwald and Quinn, for their actions, could face suspension from Tech for the semester, with no financial reimbursement for tuition and fees.
“We didn’t agree with the punishment, so we appealed to Dean Stein,” Quinn said. If Stein does not approve an alternate punishment, only President G.P. “Bud” Peterson will have a final say over their case.
To spread awareness about the false information and the consequences therein regarding the tradition, Quinn said he is taking steps to prevent others from making the same mistakes.
“I’m trying to reach out to the student government and [The Technique] to try and make a difference.”
“I want to be a part of the solution, not the problem,” Quinn said. “I don’t want to jeopardize my college career just for a letter.”