A group of students traveled to UNC-Chapel Hill early Monday morning to chalk “41-10,” the score of Saturday’s football game, all over campus.
According to Kristin Brock, a sophomore in chemistry at UNC, the chalking was one more example of the strength of the rivalry between the two schools.
“It was pretty hard to miss it,” Brock said. “The chalk was everywhere.”
Brock said she noticed the chalk as she walked to her first morning class.
“You know there’s a huge rift between Chapel Hill and N.C. State if a group of college students are willing to wake up before 7 a.m. to gloat,” Brock said.
Student Body President Jay Dawkins, a junior in civil engineering, said he appreciated the Monday’s events.
“Nothing says demoralized like walking out on a cold day and all you see is ’41-10,'” Dawkins said.
Earlier in the week, there were sightings of spray-painted N.C. State logos across the UNC campus, an act that is considered vandalism, Brock said.
Dawkins said he approved of the more legal form of expression.
“Legal is definitely the best form of vandalism, I think, because it gives them no room to react,” Dawkins said. “The best retaliation they could come up with was not very creative.”
When students in Raleigh woke up last Wednesday morning to a light blue Free Expression Tunnel, many students were not even offended because of the lack of creativity, Carolyn Grady, a freshman in mathematics education, said.
“It was just so unoriginal,” Grady said. “They do it every year, so by this point it’s completely unimpressive. But can you really expect more from a Tar Heel?”
Megan Radigan a junior in biology at UNC, said that painting the Free Expression Tunnel before a big game is tradition.
“To N.C. State students it could seem a bit repetitive, I suppose,” Radigan said. “It is just tradition, like how N.C. State lights up the Bell Tower red after a win.”
Radigan said she believed it was a tradition that served as a primer for game-time spirit.
“It is something we did to get ourselves motivated and pumped up for the rivalry,” she said. “I think it is a really healthy rivalry between us, and besides, it’s a tradition.”
Friday night prior to the game, Carolina Fever, a student fan club at UNC, hosted an “Old Well Watch” to protect their turf from vandalism.
According to the Daily Tar Heel, a group of N.C. State students drove by around midnight and launched water balloons at the students guarding the well.
Coby Kavanaugh, a freshman in business at UNC, said he was forced to chase and tackle an N.C. State student who was threatening to vandalize the old well.
“I felt like it was something I had to do,” Kavanaugh said. “As a Tar Heel, it is my duty to protect the dignity and security of our campus.”
