Issue date: 7/18/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Steve Berry The Rock on the Stratton Quadrangle incurred damage after being struck with a sledgehammer or other similar object.

The Rock on the Stratton Quadrangle, a common target of "vandalism" by students and groups, sustained structural damage during a weekend attack.

"It appeared it had been hit with a sledgehammer," SIUE Police Lt. Kevin Schmoll said.

The south side of the Rock incurred mostly surface damage, while the north side - facing Lovejoy Library - suffered major damage.

According to Schmoll, a university employee, who spotted the damage while walking from the bus stop at Hairpin Drive through the Stratton Quadrangle, reported the incident at 7:35 a.m. Monday.

A representative of the SIUE Police Department contacted Facilities Management to have debris removed from the area. Schmoll reported that no suspects have been named.

The Rock - formerly known as "Anxiety Rock" - is frequently painted by students and organizations. According to Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Narbeth Emmanuel, students disagreeing with messages on the Rock often simply paint over them.

"It's beyond me why someone would want to do that," Emmanuel said.

The tradition of painting the Rock began in the 1968. The original Rock, made of rose quartz dating back to the construction of the campus, was broken into small pieces by a student in the summer of 2001. The student was arrested and charged with criminal damage to property. The largest remaining portion was stolen Oct. 7, 2002, from the Stratton Quadrangle and recovered 10 days later on Stadium Road. The surviving piece of the original Rock is now displayed in a case in the Morris University Center.

The current Rock was installed in March 2003. A group of students selected the four-ton piece of limestone, which was donated by Unimin Corporation's Pevely, Mo., quarry. George Green, the company's regional general manager, was an SIUE student in the 1970s and organized the donation after speaking with his son, Christopher, who was a student at the time.

Though the majority of the Rock remains intact, its fate is unclear.

"I don't think we're going to be able to repair it," Emmanuel said.

Emmanuel requested that any students with ideas of what to do with the Rock contact his office.

"We're going to explore the different options," he said.

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