Graffiti Clean-up a Daily Occurrence for Janitors

Graffiti clean-up has become a part of the daily routine for the maintenance services department of State Center Community College District because of how frequently it occurs on the Fresno City College campus.

Approximately 200 hours are dedicated to graffiti maintenance each semester, according to  Leroy Bibb, director of maintenance and operations. Cleaning up graffiti has become just another daily duty for the custodial department. The building services and the operations department work together to remove graffiti from the FCC campus.

“It is our goal to provide students, faculty and staff a clean and inviting environment,” Bibb said. “Graffiti is an eyesore that we feel has no place on our campuses.”

Graffiti removal products, paint and glass replacements are just some of the costs incurred because of the frequency of graffiti.

Replacing glass can cost $200 to $500 each time, Bibb said.

Bathrooms are the biggest target for graffiti, Bibb said.

Griselda Arroyo, an FCC student, reported to President Carole Goldsmith during an open forum on March 2 that she saw offensive political graffiti in a bathroom in the Social Science building.

Goldsmith immediately notified interim manager, Carlos Puente, to have the graffiti removed.

“What is not OK and what is not acceptable,” Goldsmith said, “is people defacing our school and writing graffiti and hateful things on walls. It makes both men and women feel trespassed on.”

Sidewalks around the campus, campus signs and buildings are other targets for graffiti vandalism, Bibb said.

Despite all the time and resources put into graffiti maintenance, Jose Flores, chief of the SCCCD police, said there were very few reports of graffiti. He said it is not unusual because a lot of things aren’t reported.

“If we neglect our public spaces and let them deteriorate,” Flores said, “people don’t feel safe.”

Flores said that district police will not put up with graffiti and will cover it up as soon as people report it.

“It [graffiti] is very difficult to prevent,” Puente said. The maintenance departments and the campus police are working jointly to maintain a clean campus.

“I’m not sure what the solution to this problem is,” Bibb said. “But I feel that we deter graffiti by removing it as soon as it appears.”

Some students claimed to have never seen graffiti on campus.

Alex Pike, a registered nursing major said she is comforted that she has seen neither graffiti nor trash around campus.

“It shows people take pride in the campus,” Pike said. “We take care of each other.”

Meanwhile, other students report seeing graffiti in the restrooms.  

Vareak Than, an engineering major, said that he sees graffiti on campus every. Than hasn’t seen any graffiti that directly offended him because they get cleaned up quickly.

Students, staff and faculty can help by reporting graffiti to the campus police at (559) 244-5911.