Vandals deface Penn State landmarks over graduation weekend

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WJAC) - Graduation weekend at Penn State University was marred by vandals.

The lion shrine is one of the big landmarks of the campus, and it was vandalized over the weekend.

“This is tradition. All the graduates come through and take their pictures,” said graduate Christy Parker.

Overnight on Saturday, Penn State police say vandals broke off an ear and splashed red paint on it. Vandals also sprayed graffiti on Old Main and the Hintz Family Alumni Center, a blow for students looking to celebrate their big achievement.

“I graduated yesterday, but we saw that the rain was gonna stop today. So, we were excited to come back into town and try and get all the pictures,” Parker said. “We walked down and saw that the lion had been painted and the ear had been broken off. It’s a little disheartening, especially for those of us that flew across the country to graduate this weekend.”

Penn State administrators say the shrine will be unavailable while restoration efforts continue.