Early last week, unknown students vandalized several bathrooms in Humphreys Hall. It is not yet known the student or group of students who caused the damage, and if this remains the case a fine will be issued to all residents on the affected floors. In total, at least three faucets were ripped out of the sinks in the men’s bathrooms on the first and third floors of the building, putting them out of commision. Resident Assistants (RAs) and the Office of Residential Education are now dealing with the consequences.
“I am obviously disappointed,” says Jason Yu, a RA at Humphreys. “We need to push that this behavior is unacceptable.”
Crimes such as vandalism and petty theft are nothing new. However, the advent of social media platforms like TikTok have led to the glorification of these crimes as a source of entertainment. In an announcement via Roompact sent to Humphreys residents on Tuesday, September 21, Stacy Flowers, Director of Residential Education, stated “There have been at least 3 sinks damaged beyond use at this point. This seems to be an unfortunate trend as a result of the ‘devious licks’ TikTok challenge. As entertaining as social media can be, at times, vandalism and damage to property is not. At this time, a police report has been filed and we have documented the damages within our conduct system. We are awaiting the final cost for repairs.”
According to an article on nj.com, high schools in New Jersey are facing similar issues. The TikTok trend involves “vandalizing district facilities and stealing supplies to gain social media clout […] TikTok has responded to the trend by vowing to remove all videos and related hashtags associated with the challenge.
Repairs needed to fix the electrical components that make the sinks run without touch could lead to a far higher bill than residents anticipate. Flowers stated that, “Unfortunately, at this time, we have no leads as to the individual(s) responsible. If the responsible individual(s) do not come forward, we will need to fine all residents of the first and third floor where the sinks were damaged.” The exact cost of repairs is currently unclear.
“The Residential Education staff have investigated the incident as per our standard protocols after any instance of vandalism,” said Sara Klein, the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs. “The University does not install security cameras in restrooms for privacy reasons, so any student who has knowledge of the incident is urged to come forward to the Director of Residential Education, Stacy Flowers.”
Humphreys resident Dev Patel expressed, “It’s kind of a weird situation because it’s not our fault, but whoever did it is not going to step up and take the blame for it because it would lead to much more negative consequences for that individual [and their group] […] I think they are unfair but I don’t know what other solution [the administration] can come up with.”
The power of social media can even be used to promote counter-trends like the “angelic yield,” which are about reversing the effects of devious licks by donating goods stolen from public facilities.
If any criminal activity is noticed on campus, it should be reported to nearby authorities such as RAs and campus police immediately, and any damages should be reported to Stevens through the work order page found on myStevens.
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