University janitors were met with the task of cleaning blue paint and footprints that covered the third floor of Truth Hall Friday morning.
Truth and Cropper halls were vandalized around 3 a.m Friday, which led to a dorm security increase and a FAMU police department investigation.
According to a number of female students and housing representatives, a group of male students entered the two dorms and covered areas of the dorms with paint. The third floor and the basement of Truth Hall were hit, and the second floor of Cropper was also vandalized.
Fire alarms in the dorms went off and female inhabitants of the two dorms had to leave their dorms until police arrived.
“The fire alarm went off and when I opened my door I saw paint over the walls, on the floor and on my door,” said Nyasia Joiner, who lives on the second floor of Cropper Hall.
Joiner said she and other Cropper residents had to wait nearly an hour until dorm employees allowed them to re-enter.
A number of female students were seen chasing the males they noticed near the female dorms after Cropper and Truth inhabitants viewed the vandalism, and were forced to leave their dorms during the middle of the night.
“I was upset, because it woke me up and threw off my schedule. I had a 7 a.m. class and I overslept because of the events,” said Joiner, 18, a chemistry student from Queens, N.Y.
Bilan Walker, 17, a criminal justice student from Woodbridge, Va., was one of the women who noticed the males and chased them to Gibbs Hall.
“We saw paint bottles outside and then we noticed the boys,” Walker said. “We chased the boys (afterwards).”
Interim Housing Director Oscar Crummity said students should not try to retaliate when dorm vandalism occurs.
“Ladies chased the young men and (the housing department) doesn’t want that to happen because it is not safe,” Crummity said.
Crummity said housing officials are not sure how the intruders entered or of their identity.
“Students either gave (intruders) their access cards to enter or some student opened the doors and allowed them to enter,” Crummity said.
Security in the two dorms increased greatly after the acts of vandalism occurred. Boarders of Truth and Cropper have access cards that access all the entrances. The front doors of the buildings are usually open during the day.
The housing staff posted signs at the entrance of Cropper Hall after the events stating residents have to use their access cards at all times.
The front entrance will be locked at all times and female students will have to meet guests at the front door to let them in.
Crummity said the housing staff will make more rounds to deter this behavior, and will meet with residents to discuss using access cards wisely.
A Truth Hall official, who did not want to be identified, said she was checking the halls hourly Friday evening.
FAMUPD will investigate the matter and attempt to find the intruders. Police officials were unavailable for comment at press time.
“The only thing (the housing department) can do is clean up and do repairs,” Crummity said.
“We will give the information from the students and the staff to the police department, and hopefully there will be a resolution.”
Contact Ebonie Ledbetter at ebeb04@hotmail.com.