Noteworthy statues on the Brigham Young University campus are wrapped in cellophane this week to prevent vandalism ahead of the annual football rivalry game against the University of Utah.
The practice of wrapping statues on campus during the week leading up to the BYU-Utah football game has been in place for decades. This time is commonly referred to as “red week” or “rivalry week."
BYU Grounds staff oversees the wrapping of the statues. BYU Police are also involved in campus security measures in anticipation of Saturday’s game.
“In general, (there is) just a heightened sense of security around every large gathering like (this) on campus,” said Karen Ellingson, Public Information Officer for the BYU Police.
Ellingson described an incident a few years back when students from the University of Utah vandalized the Brigham Young statue in front of the Abraham O. Smoot Administration Building. Red paint was splattered across the statue, and Ellingson said it required tremendous effort to restore it to its original state.
While this event was not the original cause for the protective measures in place for the statues, it is an example of why this practice remains in place. Ellingson said the BYU police have been contacted before when the statues were targeted. Still, she also acknowledged there may have been additional incidents that they were not made aware of.
Joshua Brown, a BYU senior from Utah, said he believes there is “a history of ugly fans from both schools.” He said that while most fans don’t resort to extreme measures such as vandalism, there are some fans who may.
“It’s fun to have rivalry, but to encourage some better sportsmanship would be good,” Brown said.
The wrapping of the statues is one way that BYU is promoting safety and good sportsmanship in preparation for Saturday’s game.
Mark Roberts, a BYU freshman from Colorado, said he thinks wrapping the statues is “a great way to promote good sportsmanship by protecting our campus and showing that we expect the same respect that we show to other people.”
Olivia Allen, president of the ROC (the BYU student section), said she is promoting good sportsmanship by encouraging students to cheer for the cougars, not against their opponents.
“Instead of ‘U’s’ down, it’s ‘Y’s up’,” Allen said.