With fraternity banquet season approaching, spray painting coolers is making a debut once again and Residence Life is as attentive to it as ever.
At the end of March, Residence Life staff sent out an email reminding students of the policies of spray painting around campus and warned about possible fines for vandalism if students neglect to follow them. Some of the guidelines include never spray painting inside, using something to cover the ground, and avoiding spray painting on windy days.
According to MarQuita Barker, senior associate director of Residence Life, every spring, problems arise when students leave paint on the grass, on the walkways or in the residence halls.
“We have no issues with students painting, but we need to protect our facilities,” Barker said. “It’s hard to get paint out of carpet and we don’t like to charge students, but we have to if they damage properties.”
Problems arise when students leave paint on the grass, on the walkways or in the residence halls.
Though the email focused on spray painting in general, the largest concern is with students painting coolers, a Fraternity and Sorority life tradition. Fraternities across the south hold annual banquets, a weekend getaway to a beach or the mountains. The brothers invite dates who, in return for the paid weekend, decorate a cooler to express their appreciation.
Sophomore Joey Bernatchez of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, invited his girlfriend to Myrtle Beach for their banquet at the end of April, and he thinks cooler painting is a cool and “slightly quirky” tradition.
“I think — at least from her perspective, — it’s something fun that she gets to make for me as some sort of token of gratitude for just being able to come along on the trip and spend the weekend together,” Bernatchez said.
Sharing the same sentiment, freshman Olivia Figueroa began the process a few days ago by priming her cooler, and is looking forward to personalizing her thank-you gift for her date.
“It’s a nice way to say thank you to your date by just decorating it with maybe their favorite sports team or something that they like,” Figueroa said.
According to freshman Julia Daigle, expectations are high when it comes to decorating, and the process takes a lot more time, effort and money than some may think.
“It sounds like such a small process, just painting a cooler — but it’s so difficult,” Daigle said. “I had to go out and buy a power sander and sand the cooler, then prime it, then paint it.”
Residence Life staff knew the popular trend would hit campus as soon as April came around, just as it has in the past. They sent out the email as a precautionary measure to ensure students are respectful of university property when handling their cooler projects.
As the email advised, Figueroa made sure to protect her surroundings before priming.
“I spray painted the primer outside, but I put garbage bags down and stuff to not get anything dirty,” Figueroa said. “I try to do it in a well-ventilated area and be cautious of furniture so I’m not damaging anything.”
Like Figueroa, Daigle believes students, — for the most part — are mindful of the university’s property even if they didn’t read the email.
“I would be doing the same thing if I was at my own house,” Daigle said. “I think a lot of people have the same mindset, you know, if they were painting this big of a project at home, they would be putting something down.”
But not everyone is so careful. Bernatchez has noticed some paint spots on walkways around the Oaks Neighborhood, and Residence Life staff said maintenance has already power washed some walkways in an attempt to remove spots seen around the Global Neighborhood.
Fines for paint damage start as low as $10, but could rise sharply depending on what is damaged and how much damage there is. If you have specific questions about paint damage costs or would like to pick up a free tarp to lay down for your next spray paint project, call or stop by your neighborhood office today.