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You may recall the bit we ran on the vandalism at an old, shuttered CGU dorm building. One of our readers had sent us photos of the scene along with some commentary describing the scene:
It's actually pretty sad...the international students who used to live in the dorm were forced out and left a lot of their things behind. If you go through the dorms now, it looks like a scene out of Hurricane Katrina - almost fully stocked kitchens, clothing, books left behind, cards, decorations (mostly for Chinese New Year, things from their home countries)...you almost have to see it to believe it. The electricity is still on, the doors and windows have been broken...its a dangerous and sad situation.
Some of the photos do have a sorry, forelorn, slightly mysterious quality to them, like a sci-fi or western movie where people happen on a deserted outpost with a table set for dinner and no one around. Just a dry, dusty wind whistling through the brush.
The Claremont Courier ran a short article on November 26th about the vandalism. The Courier piece included a couple of their own photos. The article explained the reasons the dorm had been closed and why it had not been torn down:
The 58-unit housing complex, located on Dartmouth Avenue and Eleventh Street, has space available for 109 students. CGU is still waiting for city approval on when the structure can be torn down, said Nick Johnson, assistant director of media relations.
Spray-painted statements marked on walls and sheets hanging from railings indicate that some of the aggression stems from CGU’s interest in the Bernard Field Station property. The graffiti includes statements such as “Anti-Parking Lot Party” and “I Hate Urban Planning."
Harvey Mudd College has indicated their interest in purchasing the land for a new parking lot. CGU has signed a memorandum of understanding with Harvey Mudd that allows the institute to purchase half of the property from Harvey Mudd if the deal goes through.
No students were living in the dorms at the time of the vandalism. CGU students had already been relocated to CGU’s new apartments off of Foothill Boulevard in August.
The article also indicated that Pitzer's Nick Johnson confirmed that some Pitzer students "had been found to be involved in the vandalism." No details of any arrests or disciplinary actions were given.
The reader who originally sent us the photos also gave a little more information on the closed dorm and what might have happened with the students who left things behind (no alien abductions, apparently):DATE: Friday, November 21, 2008 6:40 PM
SUBJECT: Re: urge overkill
TO: Claremont Buzz
Hi Buzz,
The students were allowed to stay in the old CGU apartments until 8/29/08 (the notices to vacate the premises are still taped to many of the doors). Some students moved to the new apartments, some went home, and some moved to other places in Claremont. The new apartments are considerably more expensive than the old ones (and further away from campus).
The students had to leave because the new housing was open and CGU was closing the old housing (which, to be fair, should have been closed years ago).
I don't know why they left so much stuff behind...could be that many were international students who were leaving for their home countries, so there was no reason to take dishes, toasters, etc. Also, the international students wouldn't have cars, which would make moving difficult. It might also be because they knew the building was going to be torn down, so why bother cleaning out the apartments. I'm not sure.
The furniture left behind was a mix of personal pieces and stuff from the school, probably mostly from the school. I think CGU donated the beds (which was a bit of a shame, as the students who moved into the new houses were forced to buy their own beds, even in furnished apartments).
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