Residents find feces in Quadrangle again

Just when you thought it was safe to walk the floors of the Quadrangle without slippers, a pile of what appears to be human feces has again been left in the dormitory. The infamous defecator, dubbed "The Mad Shitter" by residents, last surfaced in the spring, terrorizing residents of the freshman dorm by defecating on the floors of random bathrooms. This time the perpetrator, or possibly a copycat practical joker, struck the first floor of the Butcher section of the Quad. During the weekend, residents of two rooms in Butcher found excrement in front of their doors. The first incident occurred Friday morning before most residents were awake, between 9 and 9:50 a.m., according to residents. The second happened in broad daylight, between 12:30 and 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The incidents actually seem to bear more resemblance to a Quad problem which occurred two years ago, with someone dumping feces in dorm halls, than to the "Mad Shitter" saga, which involved Community House bathrooms last spring, according to Jane Rogers, assistant dean in residence for Butcher-Speakman-Class of '28. The 33 residents of the hall are noticeably upset by the incidents. College freshman Liza Comita found the excrement while returning to her room on Saturday. "I am appalled by the fact that some one defecated on my doorstep," she said. Her roommate, College freshman Mindy Fein, said she is disturbed by the event. "It scares me that someone would do this," she said. "Who could be so bored as to say 'Oh, let's go shit in a hallway.' " Fein also said she feels that this behavior is indicative of the lack of respect for the upkeep of Butcher- Speakman-Class of '28, the unrenovated part of the Quad. "It all comes down to the question of if saving $1,000 and living in unrenovated was worth having human feces in my hall," Fein explained. Other students did see the humor in the incident. College freshman Amar Chana, whose doorstep was hit on Friday, said he "thought it was really funny but that's because I didn't have to clean it up." Meanwhile, Residential Living officials are taking steps to deal with the problem. Residence Adviser Jay Atkinson, a College senior, called a hall meeting last night to clarify the situation and discuss how the department is handling it. Those whose rooms were affected met with Rogers, in hope of determining if anyone may have had a motive in attacking their rooms in particular. Rogers and Atkinson believe that the perpetrator is not a resident of the hall and have advised students to keep an eye out for anyone who does not belong in the hall. They have also concluded that the excrement was brought in from the outside, wrapped in tissue. Rogers said he is optimistic about catching the perpetrator. "Things like this usually involve more than one person," she said. "This is not the type of thing people can keep quiet about. "Sooner or later someone tells someone else or someone sees something and we will find out," Rogers added. "There was an incident like this two years ago and we eventually caught the person," said Rogers. In the meantime, residents of the floor are relieved that Sunday and yesterday have passed without further incidents.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.