Chalking destroys IU’s beauty

Aesthetically, the IU campus has gone completely downhill since the start of the semester. Bloomington is known for being one of the country’s most picturesque campuses, but lately, it seems content to lose that reputation. A glance at Woodburn, Ballantine or any of the major walkways on that side of campus reveals chalking by student groups that has gone too far. According to the IUSA, “ ... no chalking is permitted near residence halls, on the exteriors of buildings or other freestanding structures, on steps, or underneath any covering or within 10 feet of any door.” Apparently, oversight has gotten lax and now every group is scrawling all over the limestone buildings that provide character for the campus. The IU campus should not be a free-for-all bulletin board for every campus group or local event. It seems to me that in a period of “budget crunches” that allow for outsourcing and restriction of health benefits for workers and students, the University could do something right and prevent this atrocious behavior. It also seems that restricting such behavior would cost less than cleaning up all of the mess, but perhaps the current administration doesn’t care how the campus looks. Although, if we all chalked up Bryan Hall, perhaps someone would pay attention.