Four suspects are being questioned by Virginia Beach police about the destruction of the John Wesley statue. Costing between $57,000 and $60,000, the Wesley statue was vandalized in the early morning hours on Sunday, Oct. 28. The bronze statue fell victim to four off-campus guests who broke the statue in half at Wesley’s torso. A report was taken and processed. The Dean of Students Office and Campus Security are working with the Virginia Beach Police.

"They had to do a heck of a lot more than twist the darn thing," said Richard Safford, former head of campus security. "That statue is extremely heavy. They had to be there a long time to get it down." According to Safford, an unnamed security officer patrolled campus, searching for the source of a loud noise near Boyd Campus Center. As he walked past Clarke Academic Center, he saw the four suspects trying to flee campus and wound up catching two of them (one was later found underneath a car in Village I). Not knowing what had been vandalized, the security officer suspected the four had been rambling through the construction and got the identification of the two suspects and allowed them to leave. "Five minutes later," Safford claims, "he [the security officer] discovered the statue lying there in two." Safford labeled the acts "quite distasteful," and said that the suspects, if found guilty, would be "punished criminally for their acts." The student who is believed to have registered these guests was also questioned.

The statue was donated by the Boyd family, which chose a London sculptor to create the piece. According to Safford, the family made several trips to England to see the statue’s progress. It took artist Mary Quinn a year to complete, and the 600-pound statue of John Wesley was unveiled Sept. 28, 1995. Because of the value of the statue, its destruction is a Class 6 felony. According to Virginia State Law, the punishment for such a crime is one to five years imprisonment and up to a $2,500 fine. The law also states that a judge can neither grant probation nor suspend a sentence without restitution. Restitution is defined as an act of repaying for damaged property or helping to restore it and its facilities. "Why would we want those vandals cleaning up their mess on our campus?" asked Safford. "I hope I am in the courtroom when the judge hands them two years in the state penitentiary."

"We are real sad about it and feel very violated," President William T. Greer, Jr. said. "This goes way beyond being a prank. This is hard-core vandalism, and we’re treating it that way." To many, John Wesley is more than a statue. "Many people pass by Wesley every day," Rev. Robert Chapman said. "He has a strong message that speaks to us. This is an insult to our identity. It is offensive to United Methodists to deface this powerful reminder of our heritage and link with history." Virginia Beach police are handling a full investigation of the incident. The statue is repairable, and the two halves will have to be welded together. The process could take a few months and will cost between $10,000 and $15,000.

He laughed when his neighbors left silly messages on his answering machine. And when they prank-called in the small hours of the morning, he blew it off. He even maintained his sense of humor when an opened can of tuna fish, rigged above his door, fell, splattering the smelly substance across the hall and onto his floor. Clay Rushing knows how to take a joke. But some things just aren’t funny. Rushing, a sophomore resident of East Hall, was trapped in his room Oct. 17, as the wires controlling an electronic mechanism meant for opening and closing his door were severed. "I do not understand why any of this is happening," said Rushing. Rushing, whose mobility is dependent on the use of a wheelchair, has been the victim of numerous counts of vandalism throughout the past few weeks. He complained that the incidents began taking place after he’d asked one of his neighbors to stop banging his baseball bat against the wall.

"I asked him to stop because I have a startle reflex," said Rushing. "I jump every time there’s a loud noise. It’s a bodily reaction." The noise persisted, and Rushing avoided further confrontation by leaving the building. "I got fed up with it, so I left," he said. The can of tuna fell on him. Messages were left on his answering machine. The next day, Rushing retired to his room to watch television. During this time, someone cut the wires that allow Rushing to open and shut his door electronically. "It not only trapped me in my room," said Rushing, "it destroyed my trust in people." He remains uneasy as the perpetrator remains at large. "We are currently investigating who did this," said Kristin Whalen, assistant director of Residence Life. "We don’t know at this time."

Throughout the first semester at Virginia Wesleyan College, there have been many acts of vandalism on campus, leaving some to wonder if vandalism is a major and recurring problem on campus. According to many school officials, it is not. The difference, they say, is that the incidents occurring this year are "high profile" cases. "The number of incidents is down this year," said Dean of Students David Buckingham. "Vandalism, in the main, is down." Director of Residence Life Keith Moore agrees. "I don’t feel the vandalism problem is worse than it was in the past, nor do I feel that the vandalism problem is an issue specific to VWC," said Moore. "However, vandalism is, and always will be, a problem." These "high profile" cases have involved valuable or well-known property, such as the John Wesley statue and graffiti on the Athletics Office trailer. What is being done are very visible acts of destruction.

This year, say Moore and Buckingham, more offenders are being held responsible for their actions. They attribute this to effective patrolling of the security staff and because students are reporting suspicious activity, as well as the names of individuals causing the destruction. "On a campus this size, word spreads very fast," said Moore. "And more often than not, the responsible individual is discovered, specifically with the larger incidents." Violators face a number of sanctions. These include: restitution, probation, counseling services, and up to 100 hours of community service. Another form of punishment that is occurring is community billing. This practice is employed when a responsible party cannot be identified and the cost of damage is then the responsibility of the those residing in a specific area, whether that be one floor of a residence hall or an entire village. "Vandalism is not something that is secretive," said Moore. "[Community billing] is also a factor in holding the responsible individual accountable, as individuals do not want to pay for the immature and destructive behavior of others, so they point a finger at who did it."

Many students and staff on campus are becoming individual victims of the vandalism, and many are tired of the entire situation. Junior Chris Dougherty is angered that his bike was stolen right before his eyes. While sitting in class, Dougherty watched as another student plainly took his bike that Dougherty says was leaning against the building. (The offender says he thought it was abandoned in the bushes.) Dougherty identified the student to security and he was dealt with in the arbitration system. It angers Dougherty more that this particular student has been written up for prior instances of misconduct. He is also angered by vandalism in general. "What happened to the [Wesley] statue just blew my mind," he said. "Completely blew my mind. I don’t care if you are a resident of this campus or not, you don’t mess with something like that." Gum Hall Resident Assistant Matt Edwards also feels there is a problem. Gum Hall has been the location for many counts of vandalism including, holes in the wall, the water fountain ripped from the wall, and broken lights.

"It really bothers me with the frequency of these acts because it just keeps happening and happening," said Edwards. Whether they are direct victims of vandalism of not, many students believe they still feel the effects of the destruction. "This has been my home and a part of me for the last four years," said senior Adam Smith. "When someone does something against the school, it’s like doing something against me." Some students were angered this year when Halloween parties could not be held on campus due to destruction that occurred the weekend prior. Traditionally, Halloween weekend is an important one for parties on campus. Parties could not be registered because of a decision by Residence Life to disallow any group to register as a result of the incidents that occurred the weekend of Oct. 21. "This is another example of a small group of people ruining things for the whole, and people, including myself, are getting pretty sick of it," said senior Seth Brady.

"We have a good group of students who live here," said Buckingham. "You can count the number of vandals on one hand. We have a good student body and a responsible student body."